Trandenscentalism Essay, Research Paper

Emerson s Contribution to Literature

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a founder of Transcendentalism and left an immense impact on literature for the ages (Draper 365). Emerson left a great impression on literature through his essays, poems, and speeches.

Emerson s definition of Transcendentalism can be summarized into one word, Idealism (Miles 36). Transcendentalism looks at life by seeing things as they should be and not as they are (Moulton 543). The part of the word transcend means to go beyond, which takes part in an explanation of Transcendentalism. It is said that Transcendentalists consider the matters of ultimate reality to go beyond the human experience (Rusk 34). The other main Transcendentalists are Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Margaret Fuller. Although, Transcendentalism is usually associated mostly with Ralph Waldo Emerson and not with any other poet.

The actual term Transcendentalism came from the German Romantic philosopher Immanuel Kent. Yet, Emerson himself was an original founder of the concept itself. He and many others had a publication called the Dial. He worked with such literary historians as Amos Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, and Henry David Thoreau. When the Dial folded in 1844, he decided to share it with the entire public. With this ending of the Dial, the public first witnessed his beginning poems. Emerson s poetry from the Dial

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era gave rise to a new age of literature that would affect the world through the present day (Draper, 366).

The events of Emerson s life provide a context for his thought- the why of his beliefs. He was born in Boston on May 25, 1803 to a family of merchants and ministers. His father, Reverend William Emerson, a Unitarian minister died in 1811. This forced his mother to put the family in a boardinghouse. At an early age, Emerson got ideas from his family, town, and school. Emerson attended Boston Latin School from 1812 to1817 and then Harvard College from 1817 to 1821. At college, he kept journals of his reading and thought, and he won prizes for his essays. Encouraged by his Aunt Mary Moody, he began to write poetry. He first started writing about the victories of 1812. Later on, he taught at his brother s school. He also studied ministry at Harvard and went to Florida to cure his life-threatening tuberculosis. After his recovery, he came back and began preaching, which then lead to being ordained pastor of the Second Church in Boston. In that same year, he married Ellen Tucker, who later died in 1831 (Miles 17-18).

In 1834, he returned to Concord from his recovery trip to England, and married Lydia Jackson. While back in America he met literary giants such as Margaret Fuller, Horace Greeley, Hawthorne and many others. This jump-started all of his soon to be publications. Emerson changed from lectures to publications: Nature in 1836, the writing for the Dial in 1840 to 1844, the Essays of 1841 and 1844, and the Poems of 1846. Emerson traveled across the country westward and gave speeches about slavery, the war, and the nations leaderships. The 1850 s for Emerson produced Representative

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Men, English Traits, and The Conduct of Life. In the 1860 s, Emerson began slowing down due to the Civil War and the deaths of Lincoln, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. This is because the whole country was depressed about Lincoln and also, Emerson was a good friend with Thoreau, so this caused mourning. Ralph Waldo Emerson changed themes quite often due to his surroundings, although one thing that can be assured is that Emerson has always used a few major and many minor themes in his work (Miles 18).

Even though Ralph Waldo Emerson is associated with transcendentalism, he also used such themes as nature, self-reliance, and the whole concept of faith, God, and religion. Emerson was obviously a transcendentalist because he began the concept. Along with a few others, he expressed transcendentalism through his collection known as the Dial. The Dial is known as the transcendental publication. Also, most of his poems and essays include transcendental insight.

Nature was a major theme used in Emerson s literary works, especially his poems. He used nature and transcendentalism together in his poems. In fact, Emerson even named an essay Nature. He termed the concept as a naturalist . Emerson first defined nature as the NOT ME (Draper 322), but it is seen that he can represent nature beautifully.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an extremely religious man. He was in touch with his religion and explored the vast space of the beyond. This is why transcendentalism was his key philosophy. Emerson gave his lectures and had preached many speeches concerning faith. He doubted traditional Christianity and went in depth into this. His views were Unitarian and transcendentalists all at the same time.

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Woodnotes expresses Emerson s use of nature in his poems. Here is an excerpt.

And such I knew, a forest seer,

A minstrel of the natural year,

Foreteller of the vernal ides,

Wise harbinger of spheres and tides,

A lover true, who knew by heart

Each joy the mountain dales impart;

It seemed that Nature could not raise

A plant in any secret place,

In quaking bog, on snowy hill,

Beneath the grass that shades the rill,

Under the snow, between the rocks,

In damp fields known to bird and fox.

But he would come in the very hour

It opened in its virgin bower (Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Woodnotes introduces the transcendental nature lover ( A forest seer ) similar to Thoreau and also describes the harmony between humanity and nature. Part II of Woodnotes illustrates Emerson s difficulty in capturing transcendental rapture in specific poetic language (Moulton 546).

Transcendentalism was defined by Emerson to be idealism and the transcend part means to go beyond. The poem Sphinx is a perfect example of transcendentalism.

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The fate of the man-child;

The meaning of man;

Known fruit of the unknown;

Daedalian plan;

Out of sleeping a waking,

Out of waking a sleep;

Life death overtaking;

Deep underneath deep? (Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Emerson states, in this excerpt, the meaning of man. This itself is a very unknown and a mysterious subject. He also talks about the unknown, life and death, and fate. He asks such questions as What is man? and What is his fate inside of this poem. All of these are textbook examples of transcendentalist ideas.

Another subject of Emerson s poems is similar to transcendentalism, but ranges in specifics. It is about God, faith, and religious themes in his works as well. An example of this is in Good-bye.

O, when I am safe in my sylvan home,

I tread on the pride of Greece and Rome;

And when I am stretched beneath the pines

Where the evening star so holy shines,

I laugh at the lore and the pride of man,

At the sophist schools, and the learned clan;

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For what are they all in their high conceit,

When man in the bush with God may meet ( Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson)

In this excerpt, Emerson mentions such religious topics as a holy shrine, God, and the whole poem is a man who is comfortable in the unknown. He feels like the should not figure out what everything actually means. So he feels insignificant.

A minor theme present in some of Emerson s poems is self-reliance. In Guy, the whole poem is about a man who works off the land and is wise for doing it.

Worked on the Maker’s own receipt,

And made each tide and element

Stewards of stipend and of rent;

So that the common waters fell

As costly wine into his well.

He had so sped his wise affairs

That he caught nature in his snares;

Early or late, the falling rain

Arrived in time to swell his grain;

Stream could not so perversely wind,

But corn of Guy’s was there to grind;

The whirlwind found it on its way

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To speed his sails, to dry his hay;

And the world’s sun seemed to rise

To drudge all day for Guy the wise. (Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson)

A specific example of self-reliance includes to drudge all day for Guy the wise. Drudging goes side by side with working. Also it says that there was corn to grind. This

is part of farm work. This poem not only includes self-reliance but also shows his love for nature with the line That he caught nature in his snares. Overall this poem shows man s captivity and passion for nature and self-reliance.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a philosopher, poet, essayist, preacher, and so much more. He will influence the world of literature and society itself for many years. He

gave literature a whole new concept on life and its surroundings. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a founder of transcendentalism and left an immense impact on literature for the ages. His subjects included transcendentalism, faith, self-reliance, and nature. He started a new way of thinking about the world. He helped us to look beyond materialistic things, and into the unknown. For this, Emerson will never be forgotten.