Is Transcendentalism The Way Of Life - 1423 Words

Is Transcendentalism the way to live life? Transcendentalism is when one goes beyond the regular human experiences of the material world and society to find true peace. Thoreau’s â€Å"Walden† is about leaving the cities, abandoning one’s possessions and living out in nature to find one s true self. Emerson’s â€Å"Self- Reliance† is about resisting society and living true to oneself and never following society’s standards. A modern Transcendentalist named Josh from the novel The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian follows in the footsteps of Emerson and Thoreau and tries to live a Transcendentalist way of life. When a person does follow the transcendentalist way of life, they will find that it will always lead back to the material world and society and that they cannot escape it. The Transcendentalist way of life is not a beneficial way of life.’ Transcendentalist Thoreau believed that one should follow his or her owns emotions. This is Thoreau though are shown vividly when Thoreau in Walden says, â€Å" I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary.† (lines 26-27). Thoreau wanted to live freely and without regrets and if he did not live this way he was not living life. However when Josh uses his own emotion like Thoreau thinks do not end well for him. When Josh tries to follow his own emotion and is now at the point when he wants to tell Beth that he is actually Lary however Josh tell whatShow MoreRelatedTranscendentalism Is Not A Beneficial Way Of Life1403 Words   |  6 PagesTranscendentalism is when one goes beyond the regular human experiences of the material world and society to find true peace. Thoreau’s â€Å"Walden† is about leaving the cities, abandoning one’s possessions and living out in nature to f ind one s true self. Emerson’s â€Å"Self- Reliance† is about resisting society and living true to oneself and never following society’s standards. A modern Transcendentalist named Josh from the novel The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian follows in the footstepsRead MoreEssay on Transcendentalism1619 Words   |  7 Pages Transcendentalism nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;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 andRead MoreNature Ralph Walden Emerson and Henry David Thoreau Walden1693 Words   |  7 Pagesare both inspired from transcendentalism movement. Finally, their theme are both the same, they deal with mainly the idea of ‘nature’. While comparing these two essays, it is better to look at them deeper separately. Nature is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson and published in 1836. The importance of this work is that transcendentalism arose with this art of work. Transcendentalism is mainly a combination of reason and emotion; in a more detailed way, transcendentalism is about self-relianceRead MoreThe Literary Movement of Transcendentalism Essay examples872 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the first half of the 19th century. The philosophical theory contained such aspects as self-examination, the celebration of individualism, and the belief that the fundamental truths existed outside of human experience. Fulfillment of this search for knowledge came when one gained an acute awareness of beauty and truth, and communicated with nature to find union with the Over-Soul. When this occurred, one was cleansed ofRead MoreTranscendentalism, An American Philosophy1640 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican philosophers during the early to mid-1800s embraced a new liberal movement known as transcendentalism that posed a silent threat to the current social and political institutions of the time period. Henry David Thoreau acted as the father of this new philosophy that would go on to transform the social structure of America into what it is and is still becoming today. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that humankind has an innate sense of being and knowledge of the world aroundRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer1669 Words   |  7 PagesElements of Transcendentalism In the book, â€Å"Into the Wild† by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is an in-the-closet transcendentalist; all of his ethics match up with those of a transcendentalist, yet he never admits he is one. McCandless agrees with all of the components of transcendentalism and follows them unremittingly as soon as he graduates from college, and he lives by those components to a fault, which ultimately led to his death. Deliberate living, nonconformity, and simplicity are three cardinalRead MoreTranscendentalism : The Light That We Can Not See1689 Words   |  7 PagesTranscendentalism: 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,Read MoreRalph Waldo Emerson And Transcendentalism1649 Words   |  7 Pageshis consistent promotion of free thought, personal insight, and individuality. Transcendentalism is the combination of the beliefs of nonconformity, self-reliance, free thought, confidence, and importance of nature. When I looked further into its meaning I came to realize it encompasses the growth and renewal of the individual, revolt against conformity, and basically promotes all sorts of reformation. Transcendentalism is reall y just a collection of eclectic ideas about literature, philosophy, religionRead MoreEmily Dickinson And Walt Whitman1719 Words   |  7 PagesIn American literature there are many types of themes and periods of writing. Each writer has their own style and way of conveying what they want to say to their readers. A lot of time what and how an author writes comes from how they grew up and the experiences they have had. They find a way to insert themselves and their emotions into words that move the readers in some way. One of the most popular periods of writing would be the romanticism era. Some of the most well known authors in this timeRead MoreEssay on Transcendentalism945 Words   |  4 PagesTranscendentalism 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