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What Is Transcendentalism

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What Is Transcendentalism
In conclusion, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Self Reliance is the perfect embodiment of the American Transcendentalism ideologies. Some might even argue it is the guide book to the fundamentals of transcendentalism. Emerson accounts self-reliance as being a crucial component of individual growth. He uses scholars like Plato, Moses, and Milton to exemplify how thinking for one’s self and speaking of one’s own ideas is the only way to attain merit. In addition, Emerson uses a powerful metaphor of waves as means to exploit society's wicked systems and institutions to oppress and meaninglessly classify individuals.
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