Ralph Emerson Individualism Analysis

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The major principles of transcendentalism include individualism, a quest for truth, a strong feeling for nature, and a dislike of materialism. The beliefs of transcendentalism, however, include that the senses of humans are limited and that they convey knowledge of the physical world but the deep truths are grasped through intuition, that God, nature, and humanity are united I a shared universal soul, and that the observation of nature illuminates the observation of human beings.
Individualism is shown in Ralph Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.” Several examples of individualism are seen through the essay. One example is the line “Trust Thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string…” relates to individualism means that if you trust yourself, you can be happy in whatever you do or wherever you go. This is revealed by the word “Thyself” because thyself usually relates to an individual. Another example of individualism is “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist…explore if it be goodness…Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind…” which means that if
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There are different places of nature in “Nature” by Emerson, such as “In the woods, too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life is always a child.” Here, nature is seen in the words “In the woods…” and a person’s years going by are compared to a snake shedding its skin. This nature principle is revealed by the comparison between two things and the. Another place where the principle of nature is seen is “I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all…” This principal of nature suggests that in nature, you can see everything and no one can you. In other words, nature shows you what god wants you to see. Emerson placed an emphasis on being with nature as a transparent eyeball. Emerson also shows us through the poem that direct experience with nature gives better insight into the

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