Transcendentalism Essay Topics

Between the 1840s and 1860s, the movement known as Transcendentalism surfaced and soared. The
Transcendentalist movement began as a physiological movement, which then influenced the
literature of those who studied it, including its American literary founder, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Transcendentalism took place at the end of the Romanticism era and the beginning of the Realism
time period, but it had its own distinct characteristics.
Transcendentalists were known for believing in a new way of comprehending knowledge and the
truth. On the foundation of this belief, they built the movement. The movement first began in
Germany when, Immanuel Kant, began combatting the Scientific Revolution's storing of facts by
writing about the abstracts of existence. His argument, which became the driving force of
Transcendentalism, was that each individual has the right to reason for themselves and to fit their
reasoning into their view of the world as a whole. This argument encouraged a spark of skepticism in
doubt, which fueled the movement.
American Transcendentalism was started by Ralph Waldo Emersonand those who studied under
him. At this time, "Emerson and his contemporaries saw a nation on the brink of discovering its
own voice" (Rahn, 1), which became the starting point for the american movement. They saw it as
a chance to break away from England's shadow and forge ahead on a new path of literature for
themselves. Works from this time period were focused on self–discovery, forming
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Transcendentalism Research Paper
Transcendentalism was about a movement. This movement included philosophical, political, and
literary. This centered the nineteenth century. Three major people were Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. Ralph Waldo Emerson was known to be the one that
wrote the theory of Transcendentalism. I can see why a person would think that. Before Emerson,
Transcendentalism was not that broad. Emerson introduced some new inspirations. This made the
movement have more of a wider and larger selection of subjects to discuss. In his writings, he is
trying to improve things since the Transcendentalism started off a war to restore order. "Nothing can
bring you peace but yourself." (Emerson 566) Emerson's essay "Self–Reliance" is trying to get an
individual to improve on life choices and to see...show more content...
"Where the thought of equality has become pervasive, it shows itself in four kinds." (Fuller 752)
The four kinds of equality I believe she was talking about were "smart but kind", "capable, sweet
tempered", "good provider," and "capital housekeeper." (Fuller 752) She had Transcendentalist
views regarding everyone in the world. She believed that each person should become his or her own
person by the best way possible. She is all about public–spirited and she is a woman instead of a
man, which makes it strange to the rest of the world. Fuller did not want more rights than anyone
else. She wanted every woman and man, no matter the gender or race to be equal. "There is no
wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman" and "Let us be wise and not impede the soul.
Let her work as she will. Let us have one creative energy, one incessant revelation. Let it take what
form it will, and let us not bind it by the past to man or woman, black or white." (Fuller 757) She
believed that people that came from higher bloodlines should not get special treatment as

Essay on Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism The highly religious philosophy of Transcendentalism developed as the
response of a group of people who felt that it was unnecessary to practice a religion (and live a life)
that was based on fear. The first Transcendentalists set out to create a more liberal way of life that
allowed for personal growth, justice and freedom. To truly understand the implications of
Transcendentalism and why Transcendentalists believed what they did, one must first look at the root
of Transcendentalism, Unitarianism.
Unitarians were a liberal, cutting edge group of people that completely discarded the standards of
Calvinism. Where Calvinists believed that man had a degraded and depraved nature, Unitarians
believed that people are...show more content...
Romanticists believed that there was a level of enlightenment that could only be reached through
spiritual insight. Romanticism brought about a new era of thought and provoked new viewpoints on
theology and philosophy. In 1836, a group of intellectuals living around Boston, Massachusetts
began meeting informally to exchange ideas on theology and philosophy. The group was not
organized at all, but the members did give their group a name – The Transcendental Club. If the club
had bothered to keep a list of members, it would have been a very distinguished list. At one time or
another, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller
were all members of the club. It eventually became apparent that the calm rationalism upon which
Unitarianism was based could not satisfy the Transcendentalists' yearning for a more intense
spiritual experience. The group believed that one's own intuition, no matter how irrational, was the
most reliable avenue to truth and God. Transcendentalists also believed that people were
intrinsically good and that they didn't need to use their intellect to make them so. It was the belief
of the Transcendentalists that people didn't have to "learn" to be good because the desire to be
decent and good was part of every person's soul. This concept is made very clear in an essay written
by Andrew Norton. Norton wrote that Transcendentalism exists "in undefined and intelligible
feelings" that were

Transcendentalism In America
Throughout the 19th century in the United States of America, varying notions about nature have
been expressed. In regard to nature, the United States had fluctuating notions about government,
humanity, and the religion. The perceived nature of humanity in regard to religion vastly changed
during the 19th century. Early Americanreligion held as one of its core tenets original sin and human
depravity. Essentially this meant that early Americans believed humans to be inherently corrupt and
amoral creatures. Calvinists believed that a moral government was needed to control human
depravity. However, over time this belief changed. For example, Deists believed that men were
capable of virtue and were endowed by God with inherent natural rights....show more content...
During the first half of the century, the majority of what science did was catalog nature. There were
some who performed experiments, but it was unorganized and unstructured. Science was not
really taught in school; they focused more on natural history. However, in the middle of the
century, science education was introduced from the collegiate level. There was the idea that
species change over time, but Darwin introduced a common origin of life. Humans were part of
the animal kingdom and not separate from nature. Darwin's introduction of this idea was hard for
many Americans to accept. Agassiz was troubled by the loss of special creation; essentially the
loss of God's direction or plan. They did not like the fact that Darwin argued natural forces drive
evolution rather than moral forces. It created a crisis of faith because science did not fit into a moral
sense of the world. It forced a disassociation between culture and nature; what humans do was not
unified with the natural world. Breaks the idea of natural laws; humans can create human principles,
but cannot claim they are natural laws. Some manipulated Darwin's ideas in order to justify racism.
Social Darwinists argued that certain races possessed particular traits which make them better than

What Is Transcendentalism?
At the beginning of the semester, I chose to honorize the course Major American Authors. This
course was taught by Dr. PK Weston and was very informative. Throughout the course, myself and
my classmates learned about famous essayist, lecturer, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was a
monumental leader when it came to Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was a literary and
philosophical movement which occurred sometime around the mid–19th century. Ralph Waldo
Emerson encouraged people through his writing to develop an individual and interpersonal
relationship with nature and spirituality. I was given two extra assignments in addition to daily
classwork. I had to read Walt Whitman's preface to 1832 "Leaves of Grass". in addition to Whitman's

Transcendentalism Questions And Answers
Q1: What does transcendentalism mean? A1: People wanted to be able to express their knowledge
of the world around them, that goes farther than what you can see, hear, taste, or touch. And that is
how transcendentalism was born. Q2: Who are transcendentalists? A2: A generation of well
educated people, who were before the time of the Civil War. These people were attempting to create
a new body of American literature. They believed that since they already declared independence
from the United kingdom, that it was time to have literary independence. So to do so these
transcendentalist created novels, poems, essay, and philosophies that were like none heard heard
before. Q3:When was transcendentalism practiced? A3: The first act of the transcendentalist

Transcendentalism Essay
Transcendentalism
Back in the 1800's, people trusted in their innersoul. it was called transcendentalism. People like
Emerson and Thoreau were transcendentalism.
They didn't think with their heads. They do things like in their first impression. If they sees that a
tree is violet, they will paint it violet.
During that era, Romanticism was party of it too. Ideas of Romanticism with transcendentalism. In
our everyday life, we use transcendentalism. We use our head to think and our hart to feel love and
hate, but sometimes you say something without thinking about it. It came from your inner soul. I
paint, and when I paint, I don't draw something realistic. When I am in front of my paper, I just
draw and paint with any color, I don't...show more content...
With his eyeball, he was able to see everything, very far. The word he use, " transparent,'' I
think is that because he was so lonely, he felt transparent.
Another writer of that time, was Thoreau. He studied in Harvard.
He was going to be a lawyer. Then he read " Nature, " from Emerson, and after that
wanted to live school. he wanted to live his life like in " Nature." He graduate, but then
Thoreau went in the forest without anything, and isolate himself in a little house in the woods. He
wanted a simple life. Thoreau wanted to find out by himself what transcendentalism. He wanted to
simplify life and instead of eating three meals per day, just one. He too wrote. In his writing,
sentences reflected transcendentalism. One of it was, ВґВґ It looks poorest when you are richest.
ВґВґ His ideas were to live your life with necessary things. Don't be materialistic. The main idea
was simplicity. His quotation means for me that you are rich, but poor in the inside. In your inner
soul you are poor in the inside. In your inner soul you are poor, because materialistic person only
thinks in money. The difference between Emerson and
Thoreau, is that Emerson was getting paid, but Thoreau not.
In conclusion, a transcendentalism person, lived his life without thinking, and being alone. they
trust their first impression. They go beyond, go above the senses, to rise above. Transcendentalism
contains Romanticism ideas too. It had political,

Examples Of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a movement that started in the 19th century that pushed back on organized
religion and made a lasting impact on the world of literature. This impact would trigger many
different authors to write different literature about transcendentalism. Some of these works include
Song of Myself by Whitman and Nature by Emerson, both of these works suggest on how a person
can transcend, but in different ways. Emerson suggests that it is possible to transcend by shedding
your physical body while Whitman suggests the human race can transcend while keeping their
physical body.
While ultimately the goal of transcendentalism is to transcend and become closer to god, there are
many different approaches to it. Emerson's approach is to shed his physical form and to become a
transparent eyeball. He believes that to connect with god the person has to lose their physical form,
and become a transparent eyeball. The transparent eyeball symbolizes the fact that the physical body
has been removed, and just his soul and mind is left to wander the earth with a new perspective.
Although this was believed by many people, another man by the name of Whitman thought
otherwise....show more content...
Emerson says that the person has to lose their physical body to transcend while Whitman believes
that the person does not have to lose their physical self to become connected with god. The reason
why he believes this is because, transcendentalist believe that nature is truly the way to connect with
god, and that a person can find god in nature, and that a person can not experience nature without
being there with their physical

Essay on Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
Many people have theories and philosophies about life in general. There have been hundreds of
thousands of books published by many different people on the ideas of people in the past and the
present. Transcendentalism falls in amongst all of these ideas. There have been articles, essays,
poems, and even books written about this subject. Transcendentalism has effected many people
since the philosophy was first introduced. The idea was complex and hard to grasp for many
commoners and therefore it was understood by few people, and some would think that the idea was
not understood at all and that was part of the idea. Henry David Thoreau once stated about himself, "I
should have told them at...show more content...
This group of people, who were all friends, met together and discussed their ideas on philosophy,
literature, and religion, and called themselves the Hedge Club, from the name of one of the
members. Later other people gave them the name of the Transcendental Club because of their
discussion of Immanuel Kant's ideas on transcendentalism (1). These people published many books
and writings about their ideas. The most famous of these philosophers and writers would be Ralph
Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
Ralph Emerson wrote many journals and essays dealing with the subject of transcendentalism. One
of his most famous works is the essay "Self–Reliance." In "Self–Reliance," Emerson hit on the idea
that the individual should be completely reliant on God, and that every person has been put into
their certain life and position by God and that the person needs to trust themselves. He said that God
has put the power to handle things, think, and act into each individual and that the individual needs
to trust what God has put inside them to do things with their lives. The idea is almost that of
predestination, except for the fact that we have the choice of which road to take. Predestination is
the idea that a higher power, or God, has planned everything that will happen to a person in their life.

Essay On Transcendentalism
"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind" (Emerson 364). One of many inspiring
quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance." Emerson and Anasta both talk of
transcendentalism and conformity. Transcendentalism, meaning beyond ordinary thoughts or
beliefs, is one thing that Emerson refers to regularly, and expects most of us to practice. Also,
conformity, meaning generally follows accepted beliefs, customs, or practices. Emerson believes that
everyone should focus on self–improvement and nonconformity instead of society as a whole. On
the other hand, Anasta, author of "The Foul Reign of Emerson's "Self Reliance," believe that
improvement of the society as a whole is more important than self–improvement. With reading
...show more content...
People often complain of nothing ever going their way, and that they just want things to have the
outcome they desire. Emerson shows a way to true happiness is by trusting yourself. In order to
achieve anything in a lifetime a person must have trust. "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that
iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your
contemporaries, the connection of events" (364). This quote breaks down to say that a person must
trust themselves, and the place that God has put them. If people cannot accept that God has a plan
for everyone they will never achieve true happiness. Trust is something all people must have before
there is a chance for happiness in their life. It is one of the most important self–improvements there
is. Being a nonconformist is another thing that most people need to do some self–improving on in
order to be happy. If everyone just stopped trying to fit in constantly there would be a lot less
sadness going on in the world. All in all, a person must trust themselves in order to ever gain true
happiness, and stop trying to be what everyone else it trying to be. In order to do that the person
must focus on self–improvement instead of improving their society around

Transcendentalism Research Paper
Transcendentalism is the idea that our spirits have deep connection with nature. Our ideas go
beyond the natural world as we see it. Transcendentalism is a philosophy about self reliance, and
individuality. We are more into nature and our mood is more pictured by Nature. When I think
about failures and achievements I can always base it off transcendentalism. My all inspiring
achievement would have to be putting my past in the past, and fully relying on God for a better
future. I was raised in a very dysfunctional family, growing up in foster homes, then meeting my
selfish father who put me through horrible life–threatening decisions. After being through all the
dysfunction , I figured God put me through all of it to transcend for a better future.

Transcendentalism In Modern Society Essay
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...show more content...
In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau says, "I simply wish to refuse allegiance to the State, to withdraw
and stand aloof from it effectually" (9). Here, Thoreau said that he was willing to pay the highway
taxes that would benefit his neighbors, but he refuses to pay taxes that would benefit the government
itself. In today's society prohibiting marijuana and sending people to jail harms them by not
achieving their goals in life. The government can only lock up a person physically, but not mentally.
Teenagers and adults would do what they want and what's right for them. In addition,
transcendentalism influences us in 2017 because people can be true to themselves and to
nonconform. In Self–Reliance, Emerson says, "This is easy in the world to live after the world's
opinion" (279). Emerson explains how important it is to be independent, to follow what makes
you happy and don't care what the society have to say. In today's world, if everyone conforms we
would all do the same exact thing and life wouldn't be as excited as every day to try different
things and adventure as many places. Emerson shows us to be confident with ourselves and to be
against the crowd by being

Essay about Transcendentalism
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...show more content...
They believed that God was directly inborn in every individual, much different than the church's
ideas. God could neither be understood nor described–but he can be experienced through nature and
through the self. The idea of God in this sense was viewed negatively by many orthodox churches.
American Transcendentalism was seen as a very radical movement during this time and was not
accepted by many. Ideas of secular spirituality were now breaking through, and the
Transcendentalists were trying to disconnect from organized religion and move away from
Enlightenment ideas. One of the most famous texts ever written for the sheer purpose of
Transcendentalism was Emerson's Self Reliance. In his essay, he writes about the importance of
nonconformity and individualism. In Self Reliance, Emerson tells us to "trust thyself." From only
two words, one can gather the whole purpose of his essay. With nonconformity, man can defend
himself against the tendency to become satisfied with life, and lose his own individuality. With
"good– humored inflexibility" the self–reliant person can become someone who obeys himself.
When it comes to a battle of law or a battle of morals, the self–reliant man will follow his morals and
discard the law. One is not to use their logic, but use intuition. Emerson simply was striving for not
the superiority of one man, but for originality and individuality of all humankind. He wanted to

Although not looked upon as a widely popular topic in the 21st century, transcendentalism has played
a role in everyone's life. Action of the tenets and values of transcendentalist people vary. Religious
traditions from each generation amplify the movement along with the social and political activity.
Transcendentalist believe in the natural man. One who is self–reliant, uncorrupted and one with
nature. God is in everything but nothing in particular. "...that great nature in which we rest ... that
Unity, that Over–Soul, within which every man's particular being is contained and made one with
all other. . . . We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the
soul of the whole; the wise silence; the...show more content...
Transcendentalism has an abundance to do with God, faith, and nature; but also include a portion of
logic and reasoning. "...transcendentalism remains firm in the hearts not just of religious believers
but also of countless scholars in the social sciences and the humanities..."(Wilson, "The Biological
Basis of Morality). Although there is not much logic to support the theories of a God or a higher
being somewhere, there is also not enough evidence to disprove the belief of anyone. God is a
breeze, you can feel it but cannot see it. Theologians and Philosophers have chosen to not start huge
conflict with this idea because of its assistance in keeping principles and moral conduct intact in
everyday life."...is physically full and rich...win the heart...acceptance of the supernatural...blind
faith..."(Wilson, "The Biological Basis of Morality"). Transcendentalism continues because it gives
people a sense of purpose. Whether it be in the 1800's or 2050, people want to believe in something
more than being sent to earth to work until they die and that's it. The desire for there to be some
other importance on earth is so strong, humans are willing to accept anything to give them a greater
drive in life. Their beliefs may not be strictly in line with Transcendentalist, but it does include
something greater than them; something unimaginable or incomprehensible to science."America
thought of itself

Transcendentalism Influence
Transcendentalism's Influence On Spiritual Growth People around the world and throughout time
have always had an idea of spirituality. The spirit has been thought of as an essential part of human
nature. The evidence is in the common culture of religions in the world. The soul is the essence of
humanity and spirituality is the condition of one's soul. Spirituality is the condition of a
consciousness. One answer to creating this essential growth in spirituality is Transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism is the rebellion of one's soul against the societal laws that humanity upholds. It is
the integrity of a being and the healing of a scarred mind through nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was
a major figure in transcendentalist literature and wrote two separate essays, one being named
"Self–Reliance", and the other "Nature". Spiritual growth of all kinds is motivated by these
transcendentalist impulses, shown through literary impressions and comparisons, mainly through
Emerson, around the themes of self–reliance, poetic nature, and the influence of that nature on the
soul. The first and most indispensable thought around transcendentalism is self–reliance. This word
is rather self–explanatory as it is the ability to depend on one's self. But, the transcendentalist idea of
self–reliance isn't just being able to act without the authority of another but to think without one as
well. Emerson said, " The virtue in most request is conformity. Self–reliance is its aversion." (pg1).
To clarify

Transcendentalism Essay
Transcendentalism is a movement that started in New England in the early to mid nineteenth
century. It was created as a protest against the general culture at the time, straying away from the
mindless doctrines of the churches. I think that Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, and Dickinson did a
good job of explaining what Transcendentalism is really about, which is that death is coming for
everyone.
Our Town stands out to me because it doesn't use any props, and its strong symbolism that makes a
point without being boring and difficult to understand. There is some question to what you can
define the meaning as, however. "Thornton Wilder's Our Town reflects the ideas and ideals central to
Transcendentalism. The musings of Emerson and Thoreau can...show more content...
Gibbs finally accepts that her husband isn't going to go on some fancy vacation out of town and
stops worrying about it. While Our Town is obviously influenced by the idea of Transcendentalism, I
do not think it does justice to the idea. Transcendentalism's main theme is the beauty and glory of
nature. What we as a society think is important means nothing to nature, and we as people are
nothing compared to nature. Transcendentalism in my opinion is almost like Pantheism. God
basically is the entity that is nature, and we already know God unknowingly instead of having
some big spiritual quest to find God. Our Town has little to nothing about nature or the ideas
surrounding it. This is why I do not think Our Town really expresses Transcendentalism; you
cannot have the idea without themes of nature. Regardless of what ideas Our Town is trying to
explain, it is still a very successful and enjoyable play that is a great example of American
literature. As much as I enjoyed watching it, I can't comfortably call it a good example of
Transcendentalism. Nature is too much of a central theme to be cut out from the idea, you could
even say the focusing on society and the man made town goes directly against the ideas the
Transcendentalism authors have created.
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Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism, a philosophical movement that started in the 1820's – 1830's in
Eastern U.S, a belief that you inherit goodness of people and nature, "self reliant" and
. Henry E. Emerson and david Thoreau were like the hippies of the 1800's they believed certain
things that people would strongly believe in today. Every era has dark times and a lot of people
find things to in a way distract themselves and do things that make their life simpler.
Transcendentalism can be the best thing for some people, but it also has its consequences.
Body paragraph 1
There are 5 tenets of...show more content...
He finally felt at home and nonconformity can make you feel like that, some people
find a community and finally feel like they belong somewhere and have a place. But his dad
wasn't supporting his son's decision and was very angry at his son neil for disrespecting him
And doing what he wanted. Neil couldn't take the reject that his dad did to him and neil ended
Up committing suicide, when you don't conform to society's beliefs of how people should live
Their life. Any time society sees something different their first thing to do is to kill it. And that's
What his dad represents, how society reacts to something new or different. One of David
Bowie's first albums was him in a dress in the 70's then Prince wore glitzy outfits even though
prince was straight. " It's not about sexuality, but resisting repressive ideas about what
masculinity should be" prince said. They both Just did not care and they wore what they wanted
because it's just clothes. In society especially back then you were told to wear what your gender
role is and even today gender roles are pushed but in every generation there's stars who break

roles that are "supposed to" be played In society, In my generation Lady Gaga is very known for
conforming and doing what she Wants to do. If you aren't harming yourself or others then why
should people care what you do?
Paragraph 2
Mr.Keating

Examples Of Transcendentalism
The 19th century transcendentalists prefer to turn to nature as a model to guide people on how to
improve their lives through living simply, making the best of what they have, and refraining from
passing judgement. Transcendentalism challenges individuals to be more self–reliant, many
transcendentalists had discovered that the key to being true to oneself is in living as nature does. An
example of a place created for this practice specifically is Brook Farm. The goal of transcendentalism
is to teach an individual the basics of finding a balance within themselves by connecting their
spiritual instincts with the actions taken by their own flesh. It is when the spirit is troubled, that
many find themselves connecting with nature, and thus...show more content...
One belief of transcendentalists is simplifying one's life to just a few activities at a time allows one
to fully experience and appreciate each event throughout life and fully receive the most insight. In
order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process
that governs the nature of experience. In order to achieve a union between spirit and flesh, the work
of the transcendentalist is described as "a quest ... to find meaning, pattern, and purpose in a
universe no longer managed by an amiable and genteel Unitarian God." (Halliwell, 2003, вќЎ 2) In
action that meant a aggregate regarding an experiment of Christian living, self–sustaining
cooperative economics, yet and strive in conformity with avoid a hierarchy over labor and mind.
(Parker & Fournier & Reedy, 2007, вќЎ 1)
Teaching and educational reform were major activities which Transcendentalists had devoted their
time and energy to because the intuitive nature of knowledge formed such a basic piece of their
outlook, so education was naturally a prime area in which they tested their philosophy. They also
tested their philosophy through the establishment of experimental living communities such as Brook
Farm, which became a significant expression of Transcendentalism. Brook Farm's school was said to
be highly successful but attempts at

Transcendentalism And Its Impact On Society
Margaret Fuller once said, "Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live." In today's society,
a strong emphasis on material wealth exists, while the importance of happiness is underrated.
America as a whole is twice as wealthy as it was fifty years ago, while the overall level of
happiness has remained stagnant (Belic). Point in case, society must remove this focus on wealth,
which is causing many to lead unfulfilled lives of quiet desperation. One can achieve a life of
contentment by applying the ideology of Transcendentalism. Concepts of Transcendentalism, such as
nonconformity, immersing oneself in nature, and spirituality, can guide an individual to
self–fulfillment. Because of the prevalence of quiet desperation in industrialized societies,
Transcendentalism is a much needed movement.
In the early nineteenth century, the Transcendentalist movement blossomed. Centered onRalph
Waldo Emerson, the movement was essentially a critique of what their society had become. Through
the industrial revolution, society moved its focus to industries, material possessions and profit,
ultimately distancing itself from nature. Transcendentalists believed society was too quick to
conform, and individuals did not think as individuals. Transcendentalism encouraged people to find
"an original relation to the universe." (Emerson 3), or their purpose in life, particularly through
nature. With the intention of finding a sense of belonging, TranscendentalistsHenry David Thoreau
and

Essay On Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism: This concept was largely thanks to Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose
Transcendental Club contained many followers –including his main two disciples Margaret Fuller
and David Thoreau. This philosophy believed that reality is built up of spirit/soul and nature–that
was influenced by several religious/philosophical influences from around the world.
American Renaissance: The period of American writers before the Civil War that included the
emergence of the 'American Novel' and the various writers that began to showcase new types of
writing (such as Transcendentalism).
Tales of Ratiocination: A very vague and mysterious nature of literature used by Edgar Allan Poe,
along with "Tales of Terror." This type of writing is loosely considered
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Were the law a reliable tool seeking that justice be served, there would be no more injustice. The
law has always been and continues to be the source of power over those 'beneath' them. In the
literature that we have read this semester there has been a very diverse variation of issues involved
society within the American Renaissance era. The three literary works that have spoken most to the
aforementioned diversity would be "The Purloined Letter," "The Scarlet Letter," and "Billy Budd."
The story of "The Purloined Letter," although dealing with primarily with the conversations between
the narrator and detective Dupin, showed great perspective into question of justice serving as a tool
for power. Dupin, having been slighted by the Minister D–, uses his skills to bring a pointed
investigation in his direction. Dupin uses his cleverness to manipulate his way into retrieving the
letter to bring his old grudge to an end –while solving the crime of course. This goes to show how
the police and law could be manipulated to match the needs of one, "I regarded only as ruses, to
afford opportunity for thorough search to the police, and thus the sooner impress them with the
conviction," (Poe,

Transcendentalism Essay Topics

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