Transcendentalism The Light That We Can Not See

Transcendentalism: The Light That We Cannot See â€Å"Transcendentalism [†¦] has primarily much the position of the sun [†¦] We are conscious of it as of a kind of splendid confusion [†¦] But the circle of the moon is as clear and unmistakable, as recurrent and inevitable, as the circle of Euclid on a blackboard† (Chesterton, 24). These words encapsulate the driving rationale of the anti-transcendentalist argument – that although individuals seek transcendentalism, they can never truly realize it, or, to compare with the sun, see it. Rather, they inevitably place attention on the â€Å"moon,† the perspicuous reflection of transcendentalism – that is, individualism – and neglect the responsibilities of society. Emerson institutes the philosophy of transcendentalism in his essay, Nature, teaching that divinity pervades all nature and humanity. Although transcendentalists would offer that man can only better his spiritual life by embra cing individualism, pursuing the ideal, and being one with nature, the ability and appeal of transcendentalism to advance enlightenment upon the soul of the individual rests on the false suppositions that feckless man can achieve perfection and that nature embodies God, thus causing transcendentalism to conversely detriment the spiritual life of the individual, isolating him, prescribing his rebellion, and invigorating his selfish pursuits, simply because he confides his soul in creation instead of the Creator (Tocqueville, 482). The transcendentalistShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at the Transcendental Movement1455 Words   |  6 Pagesintellectual men of their time and are now the figureheads of transcendentalism. In the simplest terms, to â€Å"transcend† means to rise above and beyond the norms of society ¾ not physically, but mentally. Transcendentalists, such as Emerson and Thoreau, believed that for one to determine the ultimate reality of God, the universe, and the self, one had to transcend everyday human experiences. Ideas that form the basis of transcendentalism are still continuously being used today in popular culture, suchRead MoreSelf-Reliance: Journey through Transcendentalism832 Words   |  4 PagesJourney through Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is the system of philosophy that leads to reality. Although the philosophy is an opinionated subject, there are still universal judgments about it. William Bryant, Henry Thoreau, and Ralph Emerson illustrate the ideas of transcendentalism through their works using rhetorical devices. Thoreau uses paradox to illustrate his belief of individualism in his memoir Walden. In Bryant’s Thanatopsis he describes death through his uses of pathos. EmersonRead MoreTranscendentalism : The American Scholar1658 Words   |  7 PagesThose Americans who have heard of American Transcendentalism associate it with the writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and his friend Henry David Thoreau. Asked to name things about the group they remember, most mention Emerson’s ringing declaration of cultural independence in his â€Å"American Scholar† address at Harvard’s commencement in 1837 and his famous lecture â€Å"Self-Reliance,† in which he declared that â€Å"to be great is to be misunderstood†; Thoreau’s two-year experiment in self-sufficiency at Walden PondRead MoreEssay about Transcendentalism1367 Words   |  6 Pages 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 developedRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s What Came First The Chicken Or The Egg? 1739 Words   |  7 PagesWaldo Emerson and Walt Whitman a similar question of â€Å"What came first the chicken or the egg?† comes to mind. Scholars may argue that without Emerson and his influential sermons and speeches that Walt Whitman would have never found his voice, but how can someone who so many consider one of the greatest poets of all time cease to exist? Ralph Waldo Emerson knew what he was doing when he published The Poet. It was an outcry for the American people to speak a truthful narrative about the human experienceRead MoreComparing and Contrasting McCandless and Emerson 812 Words   |  3 Pages American transcendentalism was a vital movement in philosophy and literature that grew over time. One person who stood out from american transcendentalism was, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He expressed his ideas and values through one of his works, Nature. There he broadcasted the relationships between God, man, and nature. Someone who would be seen in this movement would be, Chris McCandless as a transcendentalist. The novel,, Into the Wild, shares the decisions Chris made during his nomadic life styleRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1389 Words   |  6 Pageswife, Sophia Peabody, practiced transcendentalism, but he spent a year living and working at Brook Farm in Massachusetts, which was a transcendental community. Influenced by Sophia’s interest in the transcendentalist movement, Hawthorne invested money in an experimental Utopian community. Transcendentalists believe social institutions such as organized religion, society, and political parties destroy th e purity of the individual. Some of these elements of belief can be found throughout Hawthorne’sRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1397 Words   |  6 Pageslifestyle as too extreme. Transcendentalism was a philosophical way of thinking for oneself, and not letting the belief of society alter the personal opinion. Transcendentalism correlates with The Scarlet Letter and its characters as they battle society’s set values of what is socially right or wrong. Adultery and which craft are just two of the topics that would not be exceptional to the puritans. Hawthorne came to realization that everyone is human and as humans we make mistakes, we should not punish eachRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1651 Words   |  7 PagesMason Eggers Mrs. Szwajkowski Junior English 200 24 March 2016 Romanticism/Transcendentalism Essay Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† and William Cullen Bryant’s â€Å"Thanatopsis† illustrate several Romantic and Transcendentalist (and anti-Transcendentalist) traits. All of these authors are regarded as very important and influential Romantic writers. Their works are renowned all across the entire world. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†Read MorePlato s Theory Of Recollection1687 Words   |  7 PagesThe four arguments that are put forward are; the inverse contention or the cyclical contention, this hypothesis tries to clarify that the structures we have are unceasing and can t change and the spirit can never die and it generally brings life. The body is accepted to be mortal and needs to experience the physical demise however the spirit is not crushed simultaneously. Plato tries to make clear of the contention by looking at cold and fire. The second argument is otherwise called the theory of