Sunday, October 19, 2014
Emerson Blog Post
Pick out two important passages from either Emerson's essay "Nature" or from "Self-Reliance" that help you understand American Romanticism and/or Transcendentalism in some way. Write down your quotations in the comments section and write a paragraph (6-10 sentences) explaining how this quotation relates to one of the qualities of American Romanticism and/or Transcendentalism as explained in the "American Romanticism Overview" or the "Transcendentalism Overview" in your American Literature Reader. Do not write about a quotation someone has already written about previously in the comments stream.
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Transcendentalism "is the quest to find find your own individual spiritual identity." This means that one must not conform to who society wants you to believe or act. Emerson writes in his essay of Self-Reliance, "to believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men.." When you believe in something so deeply, and passionately, in your heart you make that belief be relevant to all men. Your perception and point of views is what makes each of us unique. We must not conform to what we think we should be like. We pave our own roads in life, and this is what Transcendentalism is trying to bring. Living in a world of false peace by acting in ways "the crowd" follows does not bring fourth happiness. "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."
ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson states in her piece 'Self-Reliance', "Nothing is at last scared but the integrity of your own mind." (66). By this statement he talks about how important ones mind is and to use it to ones best advantage because it has been touched by no one but oneself. Transcendentalism was a new group of ideas. Obviously, these ideas came from someone's mind. Emerson also said "...all history resolves itself very easily into the biography of a few stout and earnest persons." (68). History repeats itself. Transcendentalism may come back in a different form sometime in our generation. It was very influential of many man and still is today.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Transcendentalism, I found that transcendentalism is "is the quest to find find your own individual spiritual identity." Emerson stressed that conforming to society was the bad thing to do, and being yourself was the way to live your life. In "Nature" Emerson states that "To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society". What Emerson is saying in this is that people just need to be by themselves and live the way they'd like to with no affect on them, no social aspects nor living problems. Another quotation from Emerson's "Nature" is "Nature says, -- he is my creature, and maugre all his Impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me". This whole paragraph stresses the fact then when away from a home life and a social life, man will be glad with what Nature has to offer. I think often times we take for granted what Nature offers us and what Ralph Waldo Emerson firmly believes is that sometimes man just needs to enjoy the presence of nature.
ReplyDeleteIn Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance" he talks about many qualities of transcendentalism. One quality is being your own person and this is descridbed by the quote "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance." Once you realize that trying to be some one else is holding you back from who you want to be you have matured and know what it takes to find your individual spiritual identity. Also another quality of transcendentalism is self confidence. You believe in your self and what you can do. "Speak what you think now in hard words," states Emerson in "Self-Reliance." Speak what you think and don't be afraid of your opinion, know that have found your self and what you stand for, this is the true meaning of transcendentalism.
ReplyDeleteEmerson states in her essay "Nature" that "to believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,--that is genius. This shows that believe in your self and others will believe in you too and brings you to your reality. He also says "Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events." This also shows Transcendentalism because it puts you in your own reality and gives you your own philosophy.
ReplyDeleteRalph Waldo Emerson said, "These are voices which we hear on solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world." (66) Transcendentalism core beliefs include that there is an existence of an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical world and is only realized through the individual's intuition". Emerson believed that when one removed oneself from the world, they would find themselves because they weren't being influenced to be like everyone else in society. This reflects some of the core values of Transcendentalism because of the goal of self-finding from nonconformity. Emerson also stated, “Let man know his worth but keep his things under his feet. Let him not peep or steal, or skulk up and down with the air of a charity-boy, a bastard, or an interloper, in the world which exists for him.” (68) Emerson thought that people did good when they knew themselves, and appreciated their life. Some Transcendental beliefs are that people are good, when man knows truth about themselves. When not influenced by society a person knows who they are, so they do good, with their underlying righteousness.
ReplyDeleteIn Ralph Waldo Emerson's passage, "Nature" one quote truly describes Transcendentalism. The quote “Whenever a true theory appears, it will be of its own evidence. Its test, that will explain all phenomena. Now many are thought not only unexplained but inexplicable; as language, sleep, madness, dreams, beasts, sex.” pg 76. Transcendentalism means you are trying to find a spiritual identity. This quote can relate to Transcendentalism because the quote describes that religion should not be forced upon someone but that people should find there own. Not only can religion help a person find transcendentalism but Nature can as well, according to Emerson. For example on page 77 “ The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of a child.” This quote describes how Transcendentalism can be found through the sun which is a part of nature.
ReplyDeleteIn "Self-Reliance", Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "But the man is, as it were, clapped into jail by his consciousness"(Great Works 65). This is a reflection of Transcendentalism because Emerson is talking about the importance of trusting ones instincts and voicing ones thoughts. If one does not voice their opinions someone else might say the same thing and a that is a lost opportunity. Later on in Emerson's writing of "Self-Reliance" he states, "To be great is to be misunderstood"(67). Emerson says all great beings are misunderstood because they are constantly changing their opinions and views. They don't believe they have to be one thing only because this is boring and will bore the soul. Transcendentalists think a being is good by living life and great if they live life in a way different from others.
ReplyDelete“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.” I believe this is the heart of transcendentalism, to pave your own road, to be your own person even if it means you are misunderstood. This is what living is about, moving past consistency, staring at a shadow on a wall, to something bigger than you. That is what Emerson is trying to say. I believe that being misunderstood is the greater meaning of nonconformity. You can have great soul but if you do the exact same thing every day you will never see the full power and potential of it. Speak now and don't wait until tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIn Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay titled "nature" she describes and shows that if you believe in youself and have the drive to do what you want and set goals, you will achieve then at a high standard. For most, their answer to success in life is spelled out in one word, education. Emerson higlights this beutifully stating,"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance." I believe this is the motto of American success for a man and "nature" of the human being.
ReplyDelete"All science has one aim, namely, to find a theory of nature."
ReplyDeleteWe constantly search for aTranscendentalist view of nature. We philosophize what we experience in this natural world that was here before we were, searching for patterns or links or reasons of being. The beliefs of transcendentalism are that nature is a manifestation of the truth of discovery. But I see our search for reason behind nature as a romantic exploration. I don't think there is a reason behind it -- I think it simply is. "The Age of Realism" Is the age in which we began searching for a reason behind everything. But I don't think there always is. I don't think nature is something that has to be understood, rather it should be interpreted.
Nice outside of the box thinking
Delete"I am glad to the brink of fear. 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". Emerson's idea of transcendentalism in this passage is that nature brings out the youth in all of us. Nature allows us to be whoever we want to be and do what ever we want to do as if we are children once again. In nature, youth never wears off and we get to choose our own paths as individuals. "Nature always wears the color of the spirit." In this, Emerson is say that nature can be whatever you want it to be and you can control your own nature and you can decide what happens in nature. Nature can be thought of as a child's imagination, full of boundless opportunities and things that cannot be explained.
ReplyDeleteIn "Self Reliance" Emerson wrote, "Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood." (Great Works 67) Emerson did not think that any of the great people were understood because he thought that every moment of a life demands a different response. If one is never understood then they have reached a place in their life where they do not have to be the label we give them in society. Emerson thought that we should act on our feelings and not how society wants us to act. By doing so, this would make an individual, and not a conformist. He hated society because it made people into things they really weren't. This relates to Transcendentalism because society is an obsticle on the way to finding your true self.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism "is the quest to find find your own individual spiritual identity." This quite simply means to find yourself and your identity. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a strong believer in non conformity. He didnt want a person to blend into and act like the masses. He thought that you needed to find you true self even if your true self is misunderstood because "To be great is to be misunderstood" and all great people at one time or another have been misunderstood which is why no matter what other people think of the true you you need to be yourself. So against the goal of transcendentalism is to find your true unique self.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism developed during the late 1820's and was this idea of creating a character. As Emerson states in her writing of Self-Reliance, "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members." Even though society is said to be a conspiracy, people can still find their characters. She goes on to say, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." Emerson follows up what she was saying in my first quote with this one. When you do things to ring your true character, yo cannot let the thoughts of other people distract you when trying to reach a certain spot of thinking. You have to be able to keep intact the "Integrity of your own mind."
ReplyDeleteGood. We never mentioned Character in class, but it is certainly important to Emerson.
Delete"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Emerson believes that you must live like a child and stop trying to be as sophisticated as people think you need to be. If you enjoy nature you must learn to enjoy the simple things in it like the color and sound that surrounds you. It is easy to conform to what everyone is doing but the key is to be yourself and not listen to what others think. Also you need to accept what is around you and how it has become.
ReplyDeleteEmerson promoted the idea of transcendentalism by expressing the idea of being yourself. Everybody should have his own way of living, not to be affected by others or listening to others too much. "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think." Others opinions or views on you are not important at all since people all have their own way of living, and every individual is unique. "Envy is ignorance, imitation is suicide." It must be a crime for Emerson to imitate others. People ought to create their own lifestyle, personality, and thoughts. (Sorry Tom, the internet wouldn't allow me to post. This is already my third try.)
ReplyDeleteno problem.
DeleteIn Emerson's Self Reliance he states "Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares no say 'I think,' I am,' but quotes some saint or sage". In transcendentalism the goal is to find ones self and one cannot obtain this if one is not oneself. If one is just going off of others ideas and not making their own and be them self. In Emerson's Nature he states "all other men and my own body, must be ranked under this name, NATURE". Men are under nature and a part of it, we are not separate. Man is and forever will be part of nature, without nature there is no man.
ReplyDeleteIn Emerson's Nature he states "To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun." The goal of transcendentalism is to find ones self. To find ones self one must have their inward senses and their outward senses adjusted to each other. When they are adjusted to each other one can achieve a sense of infancy even into the era of manhood. In Emerson's Nature he also states "In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows." When one has a sense of Infancy in their manhood one can see the light in nature even in their darkest days.
ReplyDeleteScott, I wish you talked about the infancy in adulthood more often… It's becoming.
DeleteTranscendentalism was this idea of having someone find there true selves. As Emerson says, "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members." Even though society is said to be a conspiracy, people can still find their characters. She goes on to say, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." When you do things to show that you you are trying to find your ture self, and do what you love then you will beb in the right stae of mind. You have to be able to keep intact the "Integrity of your own mind."
ReplyDelete