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(2016
midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm Answers 2016 #2b: Short Essay (Favorite Term) |
LITR 4328 |
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Eric Howell
Elevating the Minds of Readers Through Transcendentalism
As broad and complex as the American Renaissance can be, it seems only fitting
that such a unique term as
Transcendentalism appeals to me. Before this class, I was totally unaware of
Transcendentalism and what the term meant in respects to literature. I recall my
first attempt at reading transcendental literature in high school, reading Henry
David Thoreau’s On Walden Pond. At
the time, I understood these writings and Thoreau as “some hippy who really digs
nature,” totally missing the depth and beauty held within the pages.
However, through studying the course pages and several readings,
particularly Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature,
as well as class discussions concerning Transcendentalism, I have now grown to
appreciate and understand what this stylistic expression alludes to, and the
role it carries within the scope of American Renaissance literature.
The elements and writing styles related to Transcendentalism planted their roots
in American literature with iconic fashion around the early to mid 19th
century through the likes of Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson, and Douglass, all of
whose works remain relevant to this day. These great literary authors used vivid
references of nature to depict a broader relationship between the individual and
Higher Law, while relating the importance of wilderness and the affect the wild
has on this relationship. They possessed an air of non-conformity, typically
accredited to Transcendentalism, in relation to the outdated ideas of the
Enlightenment era, offering progressive thought and proposals for their readers.
In addition to these features, Transcendentalism, and associated authors, offer
the element of correspondence, or the thought that everything is connected.
No other author is associated with the literary style and movement of
Transcendentalism as Emerson. Often portrayed as the figurehead or father of
Transcendentalism, Emerson and his style embodied the full range of
characteristics and elements attributed to Transcendentalism. The use of nature,
the outsider’s perspective, the progressive, transcending thought, such as
correspondence, can be seen within and all throughout the writings of Emerson.
After reading Emerson’s Nature for
one of our assigned readings, I began to see the beauty in Transcendentalism.
In Nature, the use of nature
flourishes lushly within his writing. The relation between the individual,
nature, and Higher Law can be seen as he writes “Embosomed
for a season in nature, whose floods of
life stream around and through us, and invite us by the powers they
supply, to action proportioned to nature, why should we grope among the dry
bones of the past… There are new lands,
new men, new thoughts. Let us demand our own works and laws and worship.”
Emerson’s style of writing embodies Transcendentalism, holding the relationship
of an all-encompassing Higher Power in top regards. This Transcendental
characteristic is further exemplified in his writings by the notion of
correspondence.
Emerson inferences that everything is one; everything is connected to a Higher
Law, stating “The
stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present,
they are inaccessible; but all
natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their
influence…The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom
of his best hour, as much as they had
delighted the simplicity of his childhood.” Through deep, almost extravagant,
emotional writing, through nature, Emerson attempts to convey the progressive
idea of Transcendentalism known as correspondence. This element of
Transcendentalism furthered the individualistic ideas associated with the
Enlightenment, ideas concerning man and God.
It is important to note that Transcendentalism offered new insight
regarding spirituality and religion. A successor of early, rigid Puritanism,
Transcendentalism led way to the religious movement Unitarianism. As with many
new ideas, Transcendentalism drew many scoffs and skepticism, drawing the
perception of the authors and individuals associated with the movement as
outsiders, fueling the spirit of non-conformity correlated with
Transcendentalism.
