Transcendentalism Reaction

My Reaction to Transcendentalism After reading the Transcendentalist works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, I was surprised at my reaction to them. From what I had originally heard, the Transcendentalist works were boring essays. However, after reading them, I discovered that I can relate to many things that Emerson and Thoreau discuss in their papers. Though I liked Emerson more than I liked Thoreau, both of them impressed me with their ability to take such a strong stand on issues that most people can identify with. One Transcendentalist piece that we read was "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This excerpt describes Emerson's views on nature and how it affects man. He says that in nature, man becomes like a child and is able to enjoy a "perfect exhilaration." When he experiences the calm and peacefulness of nature, Emerson feels as though he has returned to reason and faith and has found his true self. He then goes on to describe how he becomes a "transparent eyeball," seeing all but not being seen himself; it is as if he is invisible. After reading this, I
was a little confused by his language and strange metaphors. But then I realized that Emerson is right. When we take a hike, or go for a walk, we are experiencing nature the way are meant to experience it. We can go back to our roots and find the perfect way to fit in with our surroundings, to harmonize with the world around us. This excerpt made me think of the peace and calm of a perfectly harmonized world. Another piece we read was "Self-Reliance," also by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I also enjoyed reading this piece because it discusses a human's urge to be himself, even when society and civilization try to stop us. He says that without trying no one ever knows what he is truly capable of. If we let the influence of others affect us, we can never really experience our lives the way we were created to. We are also sometimes afraid to express our whole selves, and we are "ashamed of that divine idea with each of us represents." I can relate to this quote directly, because I am sometimes ashamed of things in my life that I should be proud of. Emerson brings up conformity and society's constant pressure to fit the mold, but then he says that if we want to be true men (or women), we must be nonconformists. We cannot allow someone to tell us how to act, and we cannot be afraid to be misunderstood, for many people who are famous today were misunderstood during their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this excerpt, because it touched on topics that I seem to experience in my own life and let me know that others have the same problems finding strength in themselves as I do. The next piece to discuss is "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau.
In this essay, Thoreau lashes out against the American government in response to the Mexican War, which is being fought at that time. He discusses the corruption that the government can undergo, and how it is in fact hindering the people instead of helping them achieve their goals. He asks for a better government which will work for the benefit of the people rather than its own benefit. Thoreau also claims that, in the future, a government may not even be necessary at all, for the people are strong enough to run themselves. I agree with certain parts of Thoreau's ideas, but not all of them. My initial reaction to "Civil Disobedience" was one of anger for Thoreau's traitorous remarks. However, I have to admit that governments are at many times corrupt and work for themselves rather than for the
people. The Transcendentalist authors wrote about their views on life, government, and human nature. After reading some of their work, I am amazed that I could actually relate to some of the ideas they discussed, especially Ralph Waldo Emerson's. Although some of the language is hard to understand and the descriptions take some time to comprehend, the essays opened me up to a world where people wrote down exactly how they felt and wanted to use those feelings to make a difference. The Transcendentalists impressed me, which is something I never would have expected.