Friday, July 19, 2019
Transcendentalism and Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay -- History Historical
Transcendentalism and Ralph Waldo Emerson           Transcendentalism was a literary movement that began in the beginning of the 1800’s and lasted up until the Civil War. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a man whose views on life and the universe were intriguing and influential. Emerson, along with other great men, helped to mold what Transcendentalism was and what it was to become. Without these men, Transcendentalism would not have been anything. Nor would these men have been anything without this concept. So what is Transcendentalism anyway and how have men’s thoughts and outlooks been able make it what it is remembered as?      Transcendentalism was prominent in the cultural life of the U.S., especially in New England from 1836 to until just before the Civil War. The Revolutionary war had ended shortly before the time of Transcendentalism; therefore, Emerson had been influenced by its affects and had shared his thoughts about war in his writings. At the age of twelve, Emerson wrote â€Å"Fair Peace and Triumph blooms on golden wings, and War no more pf all his victories sings†(â€Å"Way to Peace†2). He viewed war as being unnecessary and in his eyes, the soul has no enemies and rises above all conflicts. He thought soldiers to be ridiculous and war to â€Å"Abhorrent to all reason†(â€Å"Way to Peace†2), and against human progress. Basically he was against all war and his views on war were apparent in his writings. Even though he thought that the Civil War was good because it was trying to stop the evils of slavery, he detested the lack of freedom during t he war, and he vowed that if martial law came to Concord, that he would disobey it or move away. These events developed Transcendentalism though Emerson’s views and writings on war (â€Å"Way to Peace†1-2).      Transcendentalism in America centered in Concord and Boston. The philosophy came from many different beliefs and people’s thoughts and outlooks. Emerson was a huge person whose beliefs greatly influenced how transcendentalism evolved. Around the year 0f 1836, a discussion group was formed in New England called the Transcendental Club. It met at various members’ houses and it included Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Frederick Henry Hedge, W. E. Channing and W. H. Channing, Theodore Parker, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Peabody, George Ripley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Thoreau, and Jones Very. From 1840 to 1844, a quarterl... ...ndentalists addressed were important for the people of that time to pay attention to, and end the corruption of war. Unfortunately, the transcendental movement, with its optimism about the indwelling divinity, self-sufficiency, and high potentialities of human nature, did not survive the crisis of the Civil War and its aftermath. The end of a great literary movement had arrived, but was the beginning of more to come (Abrams 217)?      ?      Emerson’s Concord home and a picture of him. Works Cited Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brau           Jovanovich College Publishers, 1985. â€Å"American Literary Movements: Transcendentalism.†Oct. 1999      (10/5/99). â€Å"American Transcendentalism.â€Å"(1). Oct. 1999      (10/6/99). â€Å"American Transcendentalism.â€Å" (2). May 2000 (5/29/00). â€Å"Biography of Emerson.†< http:/members.xoom.com/_XMCM/RWEmerson/      whoisheohtm. â€Å"The Way to Peace.†Oct. 1999      (10/5/99).
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