Emerson and Nature
After reading the background on Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his "Nature" - discuss why you believe he is referred to as a transcendentalist (use should research information on transcendentalism). Whenever using secondary information, be sure to cite it at the end of your blog.
After reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature it makes you think a lot about what a transcendentalist is. The definition of transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the Eastern region of the United States as a protest to the general state of culture and society. This movement was the first American intellectual movement that had really taken place. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the fathers of this movement. He is called this because of all the work he did during this time. His writing of Nature was what really got people into this movement. He wrote in Nature about the study of religion, philosophy and, literature. These were the main topics that dealt with the transcendentalist movement. Most of his essays and writings had to do with these types of topic also. He had many series of essays that were published at the times. Not only did he just publish essays he wrote other things as well. He was a very divers is his work. He was a preacher to. Some of his writings and speeches dealt with the issue of slavery. During this time he also gave about 1500 speeches. He traveled all over the country captivating his audiences by what he had to say and how well of a speaker he was. This is why he is considered one of the fathers of the transcendentalist movement.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
"Transcendentalist." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.
Woodleif, Ann. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. Virginia University, 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. .
Hayley, I was surprised when you said that Emerson had given 1500 speeches in his life. I couldn't imagine having to talk to so many people and think of something new to talk about each time. I think you did a good job of saying how he was one of the people who created the movement. His writings made people feel like they could also write about spiritual things and not be critized for it. I think that he really helped to pave the way for where American Literature is today.
DeleteWow, 1500 speeches is a lot of talking. And not necessarily a bad amount of talking either. He was influential in his speeches, and with that many, he probably spread the ideas of transcendentalism everywhere. If he was this influential in his speaking, that just goes to show how much of a difference much of his writing must have made. Considering that we still are taught his writing today, it is no surprise that he was one of those who "paved the way" for American writing.
DeleteHayley, 1500 speeches is more speeches than most have given. While most people who give this amount of speeches are speaking of the same thing over and over again, which begins to make them pointless, I feel that Emerson would have brought his ideals to a whole range of topics.
DeleteI like how you mention that he gave so many speeches. When I did my research, I did not come across that. I don't know if I would be able to do that, but his speeches have clearly influenced so many people. I think Emerson just had so many thoughts and ideas that he had to get them out there and show the world what he was feeling and help people find the beauty that he found.
DeleteHayley, you have many interesting facts about Ralph Waldo Emerson in your blog that I never know of before. Like the one about him delivering 1500 speeches in his life. That seems almost impossible and would take up much time, but he loved to influence people. Nature must have really given him some thoughts if he had enough to right 1500 speeches. I did not know that he wrote a lot of his speeches about slavery. It is good to see that he cared about it so much that he was able to deliver speeches about it.
DeleteHayley I didnt know that transendentalism was formed in the 1800s. I feel that maybe you should have talked more about how it means to think outside of the logical information like in books and laws. I thought that it mainly meant that whoever was considered this was someone who used thier imagination at an extensive level, which is why I found Emerson so related to it. He found that in nature it is related to not the logicial aspects but religious ones.
DeleteHayley,
ReplyDeleteWhat specifically from the reading can you use to support your discussion? Think about adding a few quotations to illustrate the transcendentalist thinking.
America was free of British rule by the 19th century, but it still held on to British literature. Famous writers of this time felt that they had to create their own style of writing and try to prove that American writers can be just as successful as those from across the Pond. This movement was called transcendentalism. This was the period of time when writers seemed to be very spiritual in their writings and seemed to rebell against the literature they had read in the past. Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of those writers that really helped to form American Literature. His works are still used in school today and are one of the prime examples of this movement.
ReplyDeleteHis story "Nature" talks about how we can find the beauty of life just by looking around us. "A man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child." This quote gives me the feeling of youth and feeling like a kid everytime I walk into the woods. To know that you can just run around and not care about anything makes me feel like Emerson went there a lot to think and free his mind. I think that he is an transcendentalist because he put spiritual thoughts into his writings and talked about God. "The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God." He knows that God created him and everything that happens is part of God's plan. This was different for that time period because people weren't used to religion being a part of literature, and that is what made the transcendentalism such a big change.
Another quote that struck me was when Emerson was talking about how a farmer can own thirty farms, but he can never own the landscape and there is always more land out there to claim. This gave me the idea of not being a slave to someone and not being property of someone else. We are our own person and that is something that transcendentalism was all about.
Works Cited
Lewis, Jone Johnson. "What Is Transcendentalism?" What Is Transcendentalism? About.com, 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. .
Exactly, Emerson wasn't just a pioneer in a way of thinking, he was a pioneer in American writing too. He was one of the leaders of the Transcendentalist movements and one of the most influential people in the entire American writing renaissance. This made him a great figure in his time as a preacher and writer, and in our time, since we still use many of his writings in school today.
DeleteCamille, I feel that his quote about a man casting off his skin while in the woods was not just about feeling youthful in the forest, but also having the ability to reflect on your life with a more childlike innocence than how we reflect when in our homes, surrounded by urban life. Nature helps us to find ourselves in a way that relates to the rest of nature.
DeleteI like how you compared Emerson to a pioneer in your blog. Pioneers are often visualized in the woods. They also appreciate nature and use it to their advantage. This point also reminded me of the picture in our book by William James Stillman that introduced the section we will now be covering about the American Renaissance. The admiration of nature was seen through Emerson’s literary work “Nature”. The appreciation of nature is seen as an appreciation towards God.
DeleteCamille, I enjoyed your comparison of Emerson to a pioneer. I think because Emerson lived in the woods his whole life he was really connected to nature, as we see throughout his writings. Pioneers were also very connected with nature. They used nature and really found themselves through it. Emerson admired nature as did the pioneers. I think that Emerson understood that through nature is where people begin to find themselves.
DeleteEmeraon's story "Nature" fits exactly with the ideals of transcendentalism. It focuses on nature and how it reflects on life. Emerson was one of the leading transcendentalists of his time, and even led a group of them in a "club." His views on life and a new "American" way of thinking were revolutionary in American literature.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism is the view that nature is the way to understanding yourself and the world around you. It is based not on fact and logic, but the feelings of a particular person. The main view is that everyone has great potential, and is able to do great things. They can do this by looking at nature, and feeling. It is based not on actuall senses. It is mainly "felt" through the imagination and is not based on natural facts.
In the story "Nature" Emerson is constantly comparing life to nature, and viseversa. He talks about hiw the stars "awaken a certain reverance." I think that he is talking about the awe of things that we can never fully understand. This goes along with the way of thinking that the transcendentalists have. He also says how "a man casts off his years as the snakenhis slough." I think that this reflects the trancendentalist views by comparing the feeling of being young to a snake shedding it's skin and becoming "new" again. Finally, he talks about hiw nature "wears the color of the spirit." This reflects transcendentalism by showing how, according to his point of view, nature is a reflection of how someone feels, if it is grey, the spirit is grey. This is comparable to someone who someone "who lost by death a dear frind." With all of these comparisons between nature and humanity, and the added feelings beyond actual logic and fact, it is easy to see hiw Emerson was one of the pioneer trancedentalists of his time.
Works cited:
"26f. Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy." Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy [ushistory.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. .
Jess, I like how you said that by looking at nature, we can also feel it and use other senses other than looking. He brought about a new way of thinking and made people want to pour their emotions out into a book or into their writings. I also liked how you stated the shedding of our old selves and being new again. This reminds me of rebirth. He also wears the color that he feels. He easily shows emotion, which is a good way of staying true to yourself.
DeleteI agree that in Emerson’s “Nature” poem that the comparison between humanity and nature is one major clue that he is indeed a transcendentalist. The reflection of all life to nature is hard to imagine, but is exactly why God made the world the way he did. Sadly most people do not stop to appreciate it. Unlike adults, children are so pure that they appreciate nature and God’s works.
DeleteJess, I agree with how you read into Emerson's ideas of transcendentalism through is book,"Nature". I especially enjoy your comparison of a snake shedding his skin. Comparing this movement to the the youth is perfect because in a way, transcendentalism was a child. It was a new idea being grasped by a new generation, turning away from the earlier Puritan ideas of Calvinism. Just as a snake sheds its skin, these people turned from Calvinism, to a new "skin" or way of thinking.
DeleteJess, I thought your comparison of a snake shedding its skin to the youth was very good. I think that transcendentalism was a hard idea to grasp because it was so new and different from anything anyone had ever heard before. The skin was a new way of thinking after it was shed. I think that in nature we can understand things better. Through writings about nature people can really show their emotions in ways that they were not able to do before.
DeleteJess, you did a great job in describing how Emerson is a trancendentalist. I also found that in nature he had almost a child like imagination becasue he said that many adults couldnt see nature, so it made me think that he was talking about how only small children can really see nature in all its glory. I also feel that Emerson showed us that people like you and I can relate our feelings to nature.
DeleteJess, I love the way that you included quotes from the story into your blog. I feel that it makes the reader have a better example as to what you are talking about. I agree with you that he truly is a trancendentalist because he does often make comparisons to nature in his stories.
DeleteAfter reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Nature," it caused me to consider what trancendentalism really is. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines it as being started and defined by Emerson. It was a way of thinking that put each person in a unique relation to the Universe. Emerson's way of finding his own relation was through nature and his writings. I believe that his way of thinking stemmed from his life under his father, a Unitarian minister, then his Aunt, who was a strict Calvinist. Afterwards, he was affected by his wide readings of philosophy and theology. Lastly, I believe that his life as a Unitarian minister and the death of his young wife caused his thoughts regarding trancendentalism to solidify.
ReplyDeleteIn his story "Nature," he speaks of the way that solitude helps a man or woman to focus on thier own role in the universe. He did not speak only of individual solitude, but also the solitude found by focusing on something. His example was his writing. He also speaks of the beauty of nature and how it made him and others feel. "Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour ansd season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight." What I think he means here is that every type of weather, from rain to shine, evokes different emotions in all, and through this we find our places in the universe. These emotions do not seperate us from others that feel different emotions, but bring us closer but finding how to make up for whatever lacks in others, or others to make up for the what we personally lack. I think that this is what he means when he speaks of the "Over-Soul."
Secondary Information
Goodman, Russel. "Transcendentalism." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, Spring 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
Tori, i like that you put the idea of his wife dying into consideration. I really did not think about how that could have formed his ideas on transcendentalism. He looked to nature for answers about his life. Nature does evoke a lot of different emotions in all of us. I think that is where he was truly happy, just seeing the beauty that nature has to offer us if we just open our eyes and see it.
DeleteTori, you have very strong opinions to why Emerson is considered as transcendentalist. However, I do not feel you truly defined transcendentalism altogether. Ralph Waldo Emerson did not start the transcendentalism movement, but I do agree he was a major player and role model in it. I like how you compared the different forms of the weather to emotions. Also, I liked how you referred to the "Over-Soul" because that was a major theme not only in Emerson's writing, but transcendentalism all together.
DeleteTori, I agree 100% with your blog. I like how you mention what his concept of Over-soul means because I didn't really understand it. I also like how you have so many reasons of why he is a transcendentalist. However, I do not believe he started the movement, but he did have a major influence on it. My source could be wrong though and you could correct. Your definition of transcendentalism though is spot on. Overall a good job.
DeleteTori, I like how you took so much into consideration to why Emerson was a transcendentalist instead of just using the definition. I like that you used his life experiences to show how he shaped his writings. I also like the things you cited in his writings and the meanings you found in them.
DeleteImmanuel Kant was a German philosopher that created the idea of transcendentalism in the eighteenth century. It means that in order to discover the ultimate reality of God, the world, and the self, you must look beyond everyday human experience in the physical world to understand it. It protested the idea of the general state of society and culture. When we became free of British rule in the nineteenth century, we developed out own, different view of life. The transcendentalists took ideas from Europe, Asia, and Puritan beliefs. Ralph Waldo Emerson took that idea and was known as an idealist. He worked to achieve human perfectibility through his writings. Emerson focused on the freedom and reform of the land.
ReplyDeleteRalph Emerson's poem, Nature, had a great influence on America. He talked about how many people do not see nature, or the sun. He thought nature was a beautiful thing and it gave him light in his life; light to see God and answer all of the mysteries in life. He said that to be happy, nature and man must be in harmony with one another. Emerson found all of his questions about life were answered when looking into nature. He encouraged people to stop looking for European influence and to just be themselves. I really think he is someone to look up to. His family was poor and his parents weren't there. He still entered Harvard at age fourteen and became a very successful writer that many people still praise.
Works Cited
Lewis, Johnson. "What Is Transcendentalism?" What Is Transcendentalism? About.com, 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.
I agree that Emerson's novel had a great influence on America. It really did because we can see some of the hard times that he had to go through. We can relate them to the hard times we've had so it becomes real to us. When looking into Nature, Emerson did have all his troubles resolved because nature is so calming and peaceful and I'm sure he went there while he was having hard times.
DeleteRalph Waldo Emerson is seen by many as a transcendentalist poet and philosopher. Emerson presented and exposed many of his beliefs through his writings and poems such as “Nature”.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism consists of the ideas of non-trinitarian Christianity. Also transcendentalism was often referred to American Romanticism. Transcendentalists often write from their heart not from their mind. They felt as though that knowledge would block their senses. Transcendentalists expressed their thoughts through the divineness of nature.
Emerson is seen as a transcendentalist because of the way he portrays his thoughts. In “Nature” he put himself surrounded by nature. He compares the thoughts of children who appreciate nature and adults who could care less. I believe that Emerson wrote this poem to relate to compare the goodness of his departed son and the divineness of nature. Children are care free and are not afraid to express themselves. They also realize and appreciate the world around them, while adults take it for granted. Also the main point of his poem is that nature is not appreciated by many and therefore many are blind to the mysteries of God and his love for them. These blind people are suffering from themselves and their egotistic ideas. God created nature for us to see and appreciate, but we ignore it. Emerson through his literary works is trying to open the eyes of the blind. Emerson reveals the beauty of nature and its significance to our world through his works. His overall message to me is we sometimes need to take a step back and look around to appreciate everything surrounding us.
Christensen, Tricia. “What is Transcendentalism?” Wise Geek. Conjecture Corporation, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
American transcendentalism can go back as far as the eighteenth century. In the mid-eighteenth century, many young people were seeking a positive view of the nature of humankind, as compared to the severe, Calvinist society that consumed them. These people sought out a church reform, turning away from the idea of Calvinism. We learned before of Calvinists and their message, like Jonathan Edwards. In his, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, we read that we live in order to appease our angry God, begging for mercy. According to the early transcendentalists, the Church was more for show; that it “did not awaken the individual’s realization of his own spirituality”.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the nineteenth century, American transcendentalists began the Unitarian ministry as a religious reform, a reform supported by Ralph Waldo Emerson. William Ellery Channing was chosen as a spokesman for the new Unitarian movement. He encouraged young men and women to look for the truth within them; he sought for intellectual growth, the usage of self reliance, and even encouraged new ideas and the usage of poetry for self expression. Emerson was a major part in this movement. He was a member in a group known as the “Transcendental Club” in 1836, and in that very same year anonymously published his famous Nature.
There are many reasons to why Ralph Waldo Emerson is a transcendentalist. American Transcendentalism was originally a religious reform movement for Unitarian ministry. Emerson began his career as a minister, following the footsteps of his father and generations before him. As a member of the “Transcendentalist Club”, Emerson rethought spirituality, turning to the power of poetry as a way of ministry. One statement I love in Nature is, “Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration”. To me, Emerson is describing the simplicity of nature; that we do not need to be flashy, or make a huge deal about something so that others know it is beautiful. If it is beautiful, it is beautiful; you do not need a flashy entrance so others will notice. I feel that Emerson was referring to Calvinism as being too much religion. You cannot scare anyone into their faith, you can only turn them away, and that is what I think Emerson and his fellow transcendentalists were trying to get across.
Works Cited
Carbone II, Steven A. "American Transcendentalism and Analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance"" Student Pulse.com. Student Pulse, 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
Marla, I think how you brought up the “Transcendental Club” was a good idea. I feel as if many people did not know there was such a club. This shows them just how important this movement really is. What he did with his ministry was very different from what has ever gone on before. Like you pointed out he put poetry into his teachings. I also really enjoy the quote out of the writing you picked out. I feel like sometimes we all make big deals out of stuff that really doesn’t need to be. Like you said if something is truly beautiful people will notice it without others having to bring it to their attention. Also you made a good point when you said you can’t force people into a certain religion; it could only scare them away. I feel like this is true for a lot of things. Giving ideas about something to someone is okay. When you start forcing them to do something or believe something, this is when they turn the other way. I think you made very good points in your blog and also got the point across about why Emerson is considered a Transcendentalist.
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ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson was one of the most influential writers of American Literature ever to be born. Emerson, along with Henry David Thoreau, sparked the transcendentalist movement. The term transcendentalism is a word that means a literary movement. It started in New England in the 1800s and many writers were transcendentalists back when they wrote their literature. Usually a transcendentalist is one who thinks from his heart and not from his soul when writing. Ralph Waldo Emerson had many of these characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI think Ralph Waldo Emerson is a transcendentalist because of his writing. His writing illustrated as if he was part of nature and that he gave himself to nature. There is one quote that stuck out at me when I read “Nature”. “Standing on the bare ground – my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space – all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball. I am nothing. I see all.” What Emerson is trying to say by this is that when he stands in nature, all the talking about himself escapes him and that he sees the full beauty of nature. Transcendentalists give their whole heart and soul to become the best American literary writers that they can be. When Emerson stood in the woods he described himself as being part of the nature and that nature acknowledged him and he did the same back to it.
Nature is definitely a place to go when you just want to clear your mind. You can find the beauty of nature by giving your whole heart and soul to it and not destroying it. If you treat it well it will treat you well. Transcendentalist writers are some of the most well-known writers in literature, and they got their ideas from nature.
Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
Andy, I also agree that Emerson and Thoreau are the fathers of the Transcendentalist movement. Both of these guys have been very important to the history of literature. Both have made very important advances in this area. Emerson took his work from being a minister and added poetry to that as well. All of his writings came straight from the heart and how he felt at the time. This was a quality of the transcendentalist. They wrote from the heart and not from the soul like you had mentioned in your blog. I also liked the quote that you picked. I think that nature is a very relaxing place when you need to get things off your mind. It is a place where you can just take in the beauty and just clear your mind like you said. I feel like many people feel this way about nature. You made some good points about why Emerson is a Transcendentalist.
DeleteAndrew, I aslo agree with Hayley while she's also agreeing with you. The two men you mentioned were large contributors to the movement and writing in general. Emerson's writings I feel can be interpreted in many different ways. Like you said about your quote Emerson was saying that all the talking about him escapes him. I also think that it means that he sees that nature is it's own beauty and cannot be controled or influeneced by people and the ways that they think.
DeleteI like your choice of examples to show the Emerson is a transcendentalist. Nature can bring out the best in anyone that lets it. The true beauty can only be seen when it is all one's mind is on. You are right in saying that. Transcendentalists writing about nature for solidarity were smart to do so.
DeleteA transcendentalist is someone of something’s that can make thoughts that are so simple become something so much more complex that laws and books can’t explain them. At ushistory.org it describes it as, “something that goes beyond what you see, hear, touch, or feel.” People who think like transcendentalists go beyond what they see and use their whole imagination to accomplish what they want.
ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson was seen as a transcendentalist because during his story, “Nature”, he seemed to put it as a more life related situation, referring to religious views and many other points. He made one small, yet big idea into something greater and more complex. He showed things through nature not through lawful perspectives, which made his ideas come from more simple aspects of life, which is why he is called a transcendentalist.
I feel that Emerson became a part of nature when he was a Unitarian minister. When he was accepted at Boston’s Second Church, I feel that he might have had a spark of writing in his eyes, but he didn’t see this until after. Emerson also describes nature in his story as something nice and never mean. He tells us about how the sun makes things seem not what they really are, which is just a play on words I think, but I feel like it has a lot of meaning. It almost seems that he has the imagination of a child when he says that adults don’t usually see nature, when nature is all around us. This shows his simplicity.
"26f. Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy." Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy [ushistory.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
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ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism was an American, philosophical movement in the literary arts during the early 19th century. The transcendentalists act with a feeling that a new era was on the way. They criticized the society for its unthinking conformity. Transcendentalists wanted people to find their relation with the universe. A way for this relation is through the solidarity found in nature. This was not the only subject that they wrote through though, different authors wrote about different things, and some later transcendentalists wrote about American slavery.
ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson and his “Nature” are excellent show casings of transcendentalism. In this piece, Emerson used many describes many interesting images about nature and compares it to more civilized life. The first words in it are “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society.” Those words are what the transcendentalist movement was about. It was about breaking away from the ways of society to find one’s true self. Breaking away into nature for finding inner piece is what is really meant in those words. Nature is a great way that many people, even still today, find their solidarity. Nature is really a trademark for discovering inner peace. There are many cases where people have gone out into the wilderness to meditate on what they should do. Even Jesus was someone that performed this act. Emerson knew what he was doing when he wrote about nature in this way. His amazing writing abilities are truly the reason that the transcendentalist movement was centered around him.
Works Cited
Goodman, Russell. "Transcendentalism." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). N.p., 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
Tyler, I think you did a fantastic job at translating the words of then into now. The way that you can explain what things really mean is important because it can give us readers and other people a better understanding to how the authors felt. I also agree that people often do turn towards nature whenever they don't know what else to do or where else to go.
DeleteRalph Emerson is often credited to being the father of transcendentalism. As we learned Transcendentalists were such people as Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, Ripley, and Fuller. These authors helped shape the movement and are considered the foundations of the movement. Emerson is the embodiment if a transcendentalist. He found solace in nature as many transcendentalists did. He often referred to its beauty and how it shaped his life. A line in Nature that struck me immediately as I began reading was: “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society.” As a student I know the importance of going somewhere quiet and peaceful to do things such as study and do homework. Often times going to your bedroom isn’t enough. In the springtime I like to study outside. Emerson says that nature is a solitary place and I agree with him. He points out that there man is truly alone and he can see the world as it clearly is. Emerson’s writings and life experiences make him a transcendentalist.
ReplyDeleteNature by Ralph Waldo Emerson is his one of his main writings. Emerson was a huge part of the transcendentalist movement. Transcendentalism was a religious and literary movement that started in the 1830’s and continued on through the 1850’s. The movement was a new development of ideas that tried shying away from those of Great Britain. Nature states that we can find the beauty of life everywhere we look. I agree with this because I think nature is extremely beautiful and it’s so inspirational. A lot of writers from this time period found their inspiration through nature. Emerson states “To speak truly, few adults can see nature.” I think that this means few people take the time to slow their lives down and really see nature. People are constantly rushing around and are too busy to just go out into nature and see the beauty that God has blessed us with. This is present even more today than it was in the 1800’s. I think that Emerson and other transcendentalist writers saw that this was happening back then and could already tell that this was going to progress more and more as time went on. I think that Emerson really took the time to sit down and understand the beauty that God has provided us with and didn’t take anything for granted. Nature is something that a lot of people can’t and don’t really care to understand. I think that to understand life we must first understand nature. Nature relates to so many things and I think Emerson did a fantastic job of comparing it to other things in our lives. God gave us the beautiful gift of nature and people don’t realize this. If I want to understand God it is easy to look at nature and see him.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
Probst, Robert. Elements of Literature . 5th. Austin Texas: Holt, Rinehard and Winston, 2000. 219-221. Print.
Johnson Lewis, Jone. "What is Transcendentalism?." About. About.com. Web. 21 Oct 2012. .
Ralph Waldo Emerson is the perfect example of a transcendentalist. A transcendentalist is a person that brings nature and spirituality into everyday life and writings. Emerson did this. He was actually once a preacher and this is why he fits so well into the category. Emerson was a good speaker and he wrote fantastic works. His works very much had to do with nature. He brought his everyday problems and life into that of nature and wrote about it in that way. This is why Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered a transcendentalist.
ReplyDeleteCarbone II, Steven A. "American Transcendentalism and Analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance"" Student Pulse. N.p., 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
Morgan, I like how you brought up that he was also once a preacher. This has a lot to do with why he is so good at public speaking and writing novels with vivid detail. Preachers know a lot of what to say and how to relate things. It is what they do on a daily basis.
DeleteMorgan, I like your main views on how Emerson was a preacher and how this influenced most of his writings. It is true that the preaching would help him with his public speaking since that is the main thing involved when you are a preacher. Adding in everyday experiences would influence both his speeches and writings. However, I think a little more explanation on how the transcendentalism relates to "Nature" would be nice.
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ReplyDeleteEmerson's novel "Nature" was mainly studying religion, literature, and philosophy. Nature really helps you understand the beauty of the work that God created. Emerson was probably one of the best writers that I have witnessed, he really makes you make picture things he talks about in your head and imagine them in real life. Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century. This movement is actually centered around Emerson himself because of all his great writings that have to do with literary and political views. He would bring up problems that happen to us everyday in his novels and compare them to other literary and political issues. He also showed basic understanding of the human mind which relates to what a transcendentalist is.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited
"Transcendentalism." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .
Leah, when you mentioned about how Emerson's works make you think about nature, it got me thinking even more about what he was saying, and therefore made me picture the nature. I agree with your statement about being one of the best authors because of his beautiful writings. His comparisons really do help and paint a new picture and understanding inside of our minds. However, a few more examples from his novel, "Nature," would have been nice to see.
DeleteTranscendentalism was born during the 1800's. The era of Transcendentalism first came about in writing with some works from Ralph Waldo Emerson. With many things being under the control of the British, Americans needed something being under their control. They began to write and draft their own experiences to break from the British way of life. Another reason for starting the movement was a breakage from the Church's that England introduced to America. Some ministers decided to break away from the old ideas of life and would mainly focus on the human soul rather than the laws of the Church.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "Nature", I noticed that Emerson seems to focus a lot on the stars. With the topic of transcendentalism, there is a much larger focus on the aspects of nature. He is focusing on something that he sees every day, is very important in his life, and how they influence his life. Throughout the poem, he concentrates on religion and life through his literature. He also speaks about ownership involving the land. To me, Emerson is stating that even though many people own property, not one single person or group can own the landscape that is created in the world. Like many other authors, his works have him traveling to the woods. Emerson realizes that while in the woods, there seems to be no faults. He says that, "Nothing can befall me in life." There, he is safe and connected to nature. He realizes that in the true state of the universe, he is just another particle made by God that was placed on Earth for a specific reason. To me, this type of thinking confirms faith and proves Emerson to be a true believer and Transcendentalist.
"Transcendentalism." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .