Book of Concord

Like transcendentalism, Emerson’s religious beliefs were hazy. In chapter VII of Nature, titled “Spirit,” Emerson states that he believes “[t]he happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship,” Emerson is seeking a spiritual connection with God through nature, feeling his impact through the surroundings around him as opposed to the standard technique of prayer. The way Emerson practices spirituality is the ultimate individualistic religious experience. There are no guidelines,…

have written about. Henry David Thoreau, a highly educated author who frequently wrote about nature, wanted to understand nature and, more importantly, life better. To do so, he went to live in the woods of Walden Pond for two years, and wrote a book about his time there. The resulting work, entitled Walden, discussed Thoreau’s time in Walden. The second chapter named “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”, heavily discussed why Thoreau decided to live at Walden Pond for two years. Thoreau…

The Enlightenment thinking dominated the philosophical world in the 1700s. The Enlightenment way of thinking is to use rationality to answer the age old question, what is truth? In response to this movement, a group of American people in the 1800s believed that you should use your instincts to make decisions. Besides using your instincts, Transcendentalists also wanted to create a uniquely American literature and define human existence and spirituality. The three main Transcendentalist…

William Wells Brown and Henry David Thoreau both wanted to escape in similar but different ways. They both wanted their own sense of freedom and they took great measures to achieve their dreams. This may appear to be contradictory, but in this paper I will explain how even though they are similar, they are also different. I will also be analyzing these works. These observations are withdrawn from, and can be referenced to Brown’s The Narrative of the Life and Escape of William Wells Brown and…

Transcendentalism is a literary movement that developed in the early 1830’s and according to scholar Lawrence Buell in his book, Literary Transcendentalism; Style and vision in the American Renaissance, emerged “as an expression of radical discontent within American Unitarianism” (4). Transcendentalists rejected the strict Unitarian ways of thinking of the time period, which promoted reason and logic. Instead, they practiced a more spiritual and individualized way of life. They emphasized…

Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau The Transcendentalist movement developed in the end of the 1820s, gaining momentum throughout the 1830s through the literary efforts of Americans Emerson and Thoreau (Packer 11). The historical movement emerged from many men and women who were discontented with the limitations of traditional religion. Seeing religion’s many philosophic trappings which inhibited the growth of authentic character, these forerunners sought their inspiration through the…

In this passage, Henry David Thoreau expresses his transcendentalist ideas by describing the beauty and perfection of nature and creating parallels to the human body and mind. In describing the physical changes in the environment that occur when winter eases into spring, Thoreau provides the analogy of a “waking man” to describe the pond cracking. He further goes on to question the sensitivity of the pond – and in directly questioning the sensitivity of man. Overall, this passage is…

Another topic in Emerson’s transcendental essays was his idea about self-reliance. He believed that if you went out into nature, you would find your true purpose. You would find your connection, your purpose, and think for yourself. There would be no wrong from your mouth, and your actions would hold truth. This is similar in Love Medicine. In the novel, there are two sons of Rushes Bear: Eli and Nector. The American government in this time period made it to where Native American children were…

A Deep Contrast of History and Present A Comparison of Contemporary Thought and Thoreau 's Thought Fresh air, clear mind, and a certain simplicity found nowhere else, these are items of topic when someone has just come from a mountain excursion or, simply, a camping trip. Nature has always been seen as an escape from reality and, more importantly, society. In Early American times, predominately the 1800’s, a series of writers emerged and formed what we now know as the Transcendentalist…

Two authors, one born in 1812, the other in 1876. Two books, one a reflection of life in nature, the other, the tales of animal decivilization. Even though the two book topics carry strong, distinct differences, they both carry strong beliefs about the laws of nature. Henry Thoreau, the author of Walden, describes a two year stay in nature and how he developed different views on life and nature. Jack London, the author of Call of the Wild, wrote a story about how an animal goes from being a…