Some aspects of Transcendentalism can be applied in today’s society‚ while others have lost their relevance due to the changes of social and economic conditions since the time of Thoreau. The Transcendentalists’ goal was to create a Utopia in America. They believed in a society without rules in which you would be free to do whatever you wanted as long as it did not infringe on the freedom or well-being of others. The concept of what is a Utopia is different for every person. In today’s densely populated
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Careful‚ observant‚ attentive‚ and partial to the security offered by solitude‚ the loon selects some lonely location on the borders of the lake far from the existence of men. Thoreau‚ in Walden‚ pursues the loon because it represents what Thoreau is himself searching for""the ability to be at home in two worlds‚ but also separate from both of them. To be able to reach a unity with nature and likewise successfully separate himself from society. However‚ he can’t catch the loon because this objective
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Question 1. Judging from the diction in both passages‚ what would you conclude about the education level of the two authors? What words and expressions help you to conclude this? In my opinion‚ both passages are highly educated. Both of them are interested in choosing the right words and sentence structure‚ so they could express their ideas for the audience. We can see in the essay of Emerson that he said‚ "A Hero sometimes says stuff and does stuff that makes no sense to their peers. They get
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Henry David Thoreau’s point of view on the elderly‚ based on a passage from Walden‚ is almost completely false. To say that the elderly have no worthy advice to give the young is absurd. While younger generations will always advance themselves further in technology and life‚ they cannot do this without the help of their seniors. Thoreau begins this passage by saying that what someone says is true today may not turn out to be true tomorrow; while this is sometimes true‚ it doesn’t mean that one
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Henry David Thoreau is a man of many facets; a man who refuses to conform to what the masses believe is acceptable. He calls for the rejection of complexity and for a change in mankind’s view of life. Thoreau‚ in his many writings‚ demands change in a stagnant society. He emphasizes respect for nature‚ even to the point of blatant disrespect for humanity. Thoreau’s connection to nature was a key ingredient in his lifestyle. He studied ants closely; hoping to understand them like one understands
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Analysis of “Self-Reliance” Ralph Waldo Emerson was born into a pre-determined life. His father was a minister‚ so he was already set to become a minister. However‚ Emerson didn’t believe in organized religion. This was the reason that he became a transcendentalist and wrote his essay “Self Reliance”. In 1817‚ Emerson attended Harvard College where he first began to formulate his ideas that were portrayed in his most famous essay. In his essay‚ Emerson uses two main strategies to persuade his readers
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So what do a pumpkin and a cushion have in common? Well to Thoreau they portrayed his Transcendentalist beliefs when he said “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself‚ than be crowded on a velvet cushion”‚ a quote that actually touches on two key Transcendentalist principles. The most obviously expressed precept is that one should live their lives simply with “simple food‚ simple clothing‚ simple housing‚ just the bare necessities of life and nature‚ the “perfect” concoction
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An Exploration of Thoreau’s Wildness The wildness is a belief in something greater than humans. This is not the spiritual belief in a god or some higher being but in the idea that wildness is at the center of life. In a way the wildness may become a focal point at the center of his or life. Thoreau’s focal practice was walking‚ but his focal point could be considered a belief in wildness. When he was living at Walden that became a focal thing to him‚ but Walden was a smaller point for the larger
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* Transcendentalists- followers of a belief which stressed living a simple life and celebrating the truth found in nature and in personal emotion and imagination; believer in one’s self ability to penetrate the inner essence of things; promoted the belief of individualism; influenced social/humanitarian reforms; * Early-mid 19th century education- previously most common with wealthy; 1830s‚ demands for tax-supported public schools; Horace Mann‚ education public; slow increase in women’s educational
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Whereas Emerson enlarges upon self-reliance in a more structured essay‚ Thoreau composes a more opinionated free-flowing piece in which he observes how people live their lives too briskly and over-complicated. However‚ Thoreau was heavily influenced by Emerson’s writing and there are many views that overlap in the two essays. For instance‚ both Emerson and Thoreau acknowledge the wisdom of infants. Emerson quotes “Infancy conforms to nobody: all conform to it…” likewise Thoreau expresses “I have
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