Optimism in American Literature – Light Transcendentalists

Vocabulary

Transcendentalism

To transcend means to go beyond the physical realm or to go beyond physical human existence and experience. Transcendentalists were individuals who believed that one could find answers to life's big questions by transcending, or looking beyond, the physical world in achieving spirituality. They felt a person could not arrive at truth or life's meaning in the physical world but instead had to contemplate other factors found in the abstract or spiritual world.

Think about it like this: sometimes in life, when you are presented with conflicts to resolve, questions to answer, or decisions to make, you need time to think about it and sort out feelings, considerations, and benefits. To do this, you must get away from the external factors to focus on the internal. You may need to isolate yourself from the myriad of images and sounds you are bombarded with nearly every second of every day.

The Transcendentalists were a group of individuals who emerged during the middle 1800s. They predominately hailed from New England and explored anti-Rationalist ideas about religion, culture, and philosophy. Their ideas fit well into the Romanticism mold because they believed in intuition, revered nature, and fought for human rights.

Transcendentalists saw major limitations to logical thinking. During the Enlightenment, scientific study became mainstream and improved the quality of life for many. However, many individuals felt science could not explain everything. There were some topics, issues, and events that happen in life that just could not be rationally or scientifically explained.

Though they held many different beliefs and championed a variety of causes, Transcendentalists widely shared some common tenets. In this interactivity, click on each of the tabs to examine seven tenets of Transcendentalism. Click on the player button to begin.

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Many of the beliefs of Transcendentalists were considered blasphemous at the time. People were conservatively religious in New England, and they felt that this new set of ideas questioned their god and their beliefs. Because of this, Transcendentalist ideas were unpopular in many circles. However, some people found hope and comfort in this new way of thinking.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the "Father of Transcendentalism." Emerson was a preacher who found himself wrestling with his faith after his wife died after just two years of marriage. Emerson took time off and traveled through Europe. What he found was a world that had been industrialized and seemed to downplay individuality. Emerson felt that the human mind was the most powerful force on the planet and that individuals should use their minds to find peace and maintain freedoms. He believed that by respecting the natural world around them, speaking out, and looking inward for life-changing questions, people could find true peace.

Although many people, including philosopher and teacher Amos Bronson Alcott and feminist author and editor Margaret Fuller, came to Emerson's home in Concord, Massachusetts to visit him and be inspired by Transcendentalist ideals, Henry David Thoreau became his most famous protégé.

Henry David Thoreau

While Emerson wrote about his ideas in general, Henry David Thoreau, a young student of Emerson's, felt the need to more deeply explore himself, nature, and society. In 1841, after receiving an education and then trying his hand at teaching, Thoreau moved into Emerson's house and performed odd jobs to pay for his room and board. Thoreau became fascinated with Emerson's ideas and decided to devote his life to pursuing the study of Transcendentalim. Thoreau, who had always been an eccentric rule-breaker, decided to live alone for two years in a simple cabin he built. This experience became the fodder for his most noted piece, Walden. Thoreau condensed his experiences living by Walden Pond into one year, set up the book in a structural framework that reflects the four seasons, and created a blend of natural observations, social commentary, and philosophical ramblings that became the most noted work of Transcendentalism.

Thoreau discovered meaning for humanity through ordinary natural observations. For example, if he witnessed a fight between a small bird like a finch and a larger bird like a blue jay, he might relate it to a bully of a school or even a strong nation dominating a weaker one during a war. Think back to your study of the Fireside Poets; they learned lessons from nature, lessons that help to understand events in life such as loss, death, and loneliness. Thoreau attempted to do the same.

Transcendentalism Review

Now that you have explored the work of Emerson and Thoreau and the tenets of Transcendentalism, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. First, read each quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau and select the corresponding paraphrased meaning. Then, drag the synonyms or antonyms on the right and drop them next to the vocabulary words on the left. Click on the player button to get started.