Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman

Background Information • Transcendentalists were: • Inspired by the rebellious spirit of American revolutionaries (think Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson) • Desired to break free from the strict principles of Puritanism • Believed in the power of nature and the human spirit, especially intuition

What is Transcendentalism? • A philosophy that stresses the following: • Individuality, celebrating/being yourself • Appreciating Nature • Nonconformity & Self-Reliance: follow your heart, not society’s rules • Standing up for what is right • Simplicity, cutting out material goods, stress • Seizing the day & living life to the fullest!

Key Ideas • Return to Nature • Desire to lead “The Simple Life” • Nonconformity • Celebration of the Individual • Uniqueness of Every Human Being

Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman Key Players

Ralph Waldo Emerson • 1803-1882 • The “Father” of the transcendentalist movement • Son of a minister, he became one himself • Like Poe, he suffered losses of loved ones • Considered the spiritual voice of his generation

Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” • This famous essay is full of “aphorisms,” or short statements expressing a general truth about life • Some memorable aphorisms: • “To be great is to be misunderstood.” • “Envy is ignorance” • “Imitation is suicide.” • “Trust thyself.” • “Good men must not obey the laws too well.”

Key Themes in “Self Reliance” • Trust yourself/be a nonconformist • Don’t worry too much about consistency

Literary Terms for Emerson • Aphorism - a short statement of general truth or wisdom about life • Nonconformist - one who does not follow generally accepted beliefs, customs or practices • Essay - brief nonfiction article that expresses an opinion on a subject • Paradox - statement that seems to be contradictory or ridiculous but is nevertheless true

Henry David Thoreau • 1817-1862 • Student of Emerson’s • Nonconformist who stood up for his beliefs • Sought the simple life in a cabin in MA • Influenced many in anti-slavery movement • Died of TB

Thoreau on Reform • Believed reform starts with the individual • People should follow their conscience and not necessarily follow laws, because laws can be unjust • Recall “Dance Ban” video, if applicable

Thoreau at Walden Pond • Believed in leading a “simple” life, away from the hustle and bustle of our industrially advancing society • Believed in living by his own values, not society’s materialistic values • Conducted an “experiment” in which he lived in a cabin he built by hand for over 2 years • Kept a journal detailing his thoughts and experiences, hoping to achieve personal growth and insight • Left the woods b/c he had more living to do

Thoreau on Walden: • “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” • “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” • “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

Thoreau & Voluntary Simplicity • Influenced people seeking solitude & desire to get away from stress and live uncluttered lives • “Our life is frittered away by detail.” • “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” • “Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends.”

Thoreau & Nonconformity • Went to jail for refusing to pay a tax which indirectly supported slavery • Refused to wear Harvard uniform • Refused to punish his students physically • “The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels. How worn and dusty must be the highways of the word, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity!”

Thoreau’s Motivational Words: • “[Advance] confidently in the direction of [your] dreams…live the life which [you] have imagined, [and you will meet with success.] • “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them…”

Thoreau on Living Life to the Fullest • “I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight…I do not wish to go below now.”

Thoreau’s Critics • Some criticize Thoreau because: • He only spent one night in jail, and only because the warden had already gone home • He wrote about experiences in the wild, when in fact he was only 1/2 mile from town, and he frequently visited & dined with friends

Works by Thoreau: Civil Disobedience Walden Words to Know Conscientious - guided by conscience; honest Nature writing - a type of essay in which the writer uses firsthand observations to explore the mysteries of the human relationship with nature Thoreau to Know:

Walt Whitman • Poetry was revolutionary; didn’t follow traditional “rules” • Many traditional writers and audiences found his poetry offensive because of the form and the content • He was a patriot who loved to celebrate America and its people • Works - I Hear America Singing, Song of Myself, and I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, and I Sit and Look Out

Words to Know: Form - (or structure) in poetry is the way a poem is organized. Conventional form follows fixed rules, and organic form is irregular and mimics natural speech Free verse - Organic form of poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and meter Repetition - recurrence of words, phrases or lines Catalog - lists of people, things or qualities Parallelism - related ideas are phrased in similar ways Whitman Toolbox

Primary Sources Offer direct, first-hand knowledge of something, like a diary, journal, memoir, autobiography, interview, personal history, or archival document (transcript, official records) Secondary Sources Offer indirect, second-hand knowledge, like a summary, textbook, encyclopedia Nonfiction Texts

Transcendentalism