Preview

How Does Transcendentalism In Let's Have Class Outside Today

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1080 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Transcendentalism In Let's Have Class Outside Today
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Let’s have class outside today!” Kids look forward to hearing this statement frequently in the springtime each school year; but why? It has been proven that children as well as adults learn more and at a higher level than normal when in a natural environment. Humans tend to observe and associate learned material with the natural surroundings. These people also relax and are readily available to intake more information as well as discover new facts about themselves. This is essentially the basis of transcendentalism. Transcendentalist writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman, turn to nature as a role model to show people how to improve the quality of their lives by living simply, making the best of what they have, and refraining from passing judgment on others. By following nature’s example, people discover that being true to oneself is the key to living as nature does.
Within Emerson’s life time, he had been married twice with four children- his first
…show more content…
His whole life, however closely examined, shows no flaw of temper or of foible. It was serene and lovely to the end, simply because he existed with no worry or regret in his heart about his lifestyle of paving the natural view of the world for future people to live his transcendental ways. Emerson’s journey through transcendentalism was about going beyond one’s humanity in an effort to understand the world around him on a higher level.
American thought has been greatly influenced by Emerson 's declaration of philosophy, which has also been a major source of inspiration for future thinkers. He was an authority on showing the way that life has to follow, a way which challenges existing standards and manages to overcome personal, national and religious barriers. I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Written during the 19th century, while the movement of transcendentalism was developed and active, Thoreau considered himself a transcendentalist, influencing him to write this literary piece, and his thoughts and perspective of life within it. Targeting an attentive, intellectual, and mature audience, he describes his attitude toward life through composition of rhetorical methods, such as alliteration and metaphors.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    4. Transcendentalists believe that individuals "transcend" by learning from and living in harmony with nature. Thoreau put this philosophy into practice by living alone in a cabin he built himself at Walden Pond for two years (1845 -1847). Thoreau's experiences during this period provided him with the material for his masterwork Walden (1854). The quote below is fromWalden. Describe two specific things Thoreau learned about life by translating the lines below in your own words:…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    4. Transcendentalists believe that individuals "transcend" by learning from and living in harmony with nature. Thoreau put this philosophy into practice by living alone in a cabin he built himself at Walden Pond for two years (1845 -1847). Thoreau's experiences during this period provided him with the material for his masterwork Walden (1854). The quote below is from Walden. Describe two specific things Thoreau learned about life by translating the lines below in your own words:…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Henry David Thoreau, a father of transcendentalism, once decided that instead trying to fit in with society, he was going to pursue a life of self-reliance alone in the woods. He claims,“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not…

    • 936 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some of the songs on the CD aren’t exactly clear on their transcendentalist properties, so I decided to just be Thoreau (yes that is a pun) and go through and define the songs’ transcendentalist properties.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Into The Wild Theme Essay

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The opinion that self and society are detached from one another is not a new one; in fact, it is an opinion that has been expounded on in the essay “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson shares McCandless’s reverence for the transformative power of nature. He discusses in great detail how the presence of nature can transform people into a purer, more enlightened…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Now that you have a thorough understanding of the tenets, thoughts, and origin of transcendentalism; it is time to apply them to everyday life. Are you ready to join me on an adventure to better understand nature, and free-thinking? As Ralph Waldo Emerson – a scholar from The Transcendental Club says, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."…

    • 338 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Transcendentalism sets the foundation of writing today. The overall message inspires individuals to gain a better understanding of their true identity and knowledge. On the other hand, Romanticism does not fully reveal an individual’s personality. The true story, Into the Wild incorporates aspects of transcendentalism throughout Chris McCandless's journey. A young man explores the wild by himself. He leaves his family, friends, and his belongings behind to enter a door of opportunities. He steps foot on a path where he can express himself. He takes on many risks throughout the book but he tried to fight his problems himself. Chris McCandless adventures in Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a prime example of transcendentalism because it embodies…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not many people take the time out of their day to just sit and think. They could even just think about nothing. Sometimes nothing is the most anybody can even think about. Though most people are ensnared in their ever-growing schedules, others do take the time to just think about nothing. Some even spend their whole lives thinking about nothing except the reason for their existence. I’ve always admired people that do this, but I, too, am much more concerned about my daily tasks. In Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild, the story of Chris McCandless’s transcendentalist journey through the continental U.S., shows just how much there is to gain from living this type of lifestyle. I do believe that the transcendentalist lifestyle is still valuable in the 21st century.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For Emerson, Transcendentalism was not a new philosophy, but the “very oldest of thoughts cast into the mold of these new times”…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Relying on one’s self, perceived through the eyes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, is seemingly the only way to show a man’s true genius and goodness to society. Transcendentalism, continually associated with Emerson and his essay “Self-reliance”, announces how the belief in one’s self and one’s ideals pushes away society’s conformity nature, and creates new ideas and questions. Throughout Emerson’s essay, he preaches for society to break away from traditional values, maintain open-minds, and embrace change without unnecessary contradiction. Emerson discusses all of these aspects by metaphorically comparing man’s freedom to understandable objects/situations, alluding to religion, and analyzing the relationship between man’s mind and nature.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    For example, nature has a big impact on the ones who decide to acknowledge its power and divinity. Ultimately, mother earth can console people by bringing them a new perspective towards life. In the poem, “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant, he conveys that death is not a frightful thing and explains that nature “has a voice of gladness [and also has a] smile and eloquence of beauty” (220. 4-5). For this reason, many people are able to witness the state of tranquility and contentment that is present in the natural world. This allusion personifies nature as not only the surroundings of a person, but something that they are truly connected to. It is evident that the truth comes from intuition and solitude, not God. Indeed, a life well-spent is when someone focuses on the life in front of them and realizes what nature has to offer. In the excerpt, “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he states that “all natural objects make a kindred impression when the mind is open to their influence,” which explains the connection that humans have with nature and the sacrifice they must make to indulge themselves within it ( 241). Connecting with the environment allows a person to understand the beauty and extent of the world, rather than just focusing on a superior being. The affirmative feeling of Transcendentalists is that they are one with nature and one with the world. Instead of giving their faith to an over-seeking power, they take in the ideas and beliefs from all living things and incorporate them in making decisions based on their own personal experiences with…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Transcendentalists strongly believed in the sacredness of nature. Thoreau believed that he had wasted a day if he had not gone for at least a three-hour nature walk. Thoreau praises nature, as other Transcendentalists do, for it offers a promised, unchanging location in a world predicated in change. During the popular times of transcendentalism, a lot of nature was still virgin space. It was not as torn up or populated rather wild and still many unexplored areas. But still today with the increase in population and urbanization, our country has several national parks to preserve nature. Through these there are many people today who seek the peace and beauty that nature has to offer through more modern ways of travel and vacation.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Transcendentalism Humans are often completely absorbed by things around them. Busyness many times control lives. Throughout daily life, people get distracted and over worried by simple things, many of which are temporary. In Emerson’s essay, “Nature” he argues that avoiding materialism is necessary to truly appreciate the beauty of nature. Materialism also distracts humans and causes them to lose on more important things.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Similar to Emerson, Shakur wrote that schools are “not getting us ready for today’s world...that’s why the streets have taught me” (Shakur). Students generally don’t learn about life lessons in school. In other words, an individual gains the most knowledge from “the streets” or being outdoors and experiencing life through their own eyes. It is important to have book smarts but also street smarts and common sense. Without street smarts and common sense one will have a difficult time living on their own. A Transcendentalist theme that is similar to these ideas of Emerson and Shakur is valuing nature. Nature and the outside world give us…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays