Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalist Writer - 2009 Words

Henry David Thoreau was a nineteenth century American author who lived during the height of Transcendentalism. He became an important contributor to this movement (â€Å"H. D. T.† Poetry Foundation). Thoreau received much information about this movement from Emerson, a noteworthy friend of Thoreau. Thoreau wrote many significant works in American literature, including Walden and â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† The works of Henry David Thoreau were strongly influenced by the Transcendentalist movement and centered around his stay at Walden Pond. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817, to John and Cynthia Thoreau. He was the third of four children (Bloom 7). From early on, Thoreau felt a strong connection to the natural†¦show more content†¦He later became the secretary and curator, being endowed with the responsibility of organizing the agenda and location of meetings (Bloom 17). The Transcendentalist movement was centered in Concord. The philosophy of Transcendentalism stated that knowledge originated from the voice of God within humans. This knowledge was essentially their â€Å"inner light† or â€Å"over-soul† (Goodman). In other words, one’s conscience is an innate trait. It was society that corrupted people’s moral sense. Despite the fact that many Transcendentalists wanted to change society, they believed that these changes had to begin with individuals (â€Å"H. D. T.† Encyclopedia Britannica). These changes that were advocated by Transcendentalists pertained to pressing social issues at the time, such as the mistreatment of Native Americans, the Mexican War, and the expansion of slavery (Goodman). Transcendentalism was the antithesis of Unitarianism, another philosophical movement that was developing at the time. Many of the major theories of Unitarianism were developed by John Locke, who believed that the best way for people to grow in knowledge and understanding was through the use of one’s senses and the scientific method (Goodman). Transcendentalists believed that there were two ways to attain knowledge: through the senses or through intuition. The latter, they believed, was significantly more useful than the former. In brief, Transcendentalists preferred individuals overShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglas And Henry David Thoreau950 Words   |  4 PagesFrederick Douglas and Henry David Thoreau The life and works of Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass’ has had a lasting impact in the literary field since there work is studied now in most colleges. Although, the writers travelled in the same circle and were both friends of Ralph Waldo Emerson the pair were not friends. In looking at the life and works of the two dynamic literary giants analyzing their common goals, work, and their place in Transcendentalist history will bring more understandingRead MoreThe True Transcendentalist: Thoreau and Emerson775 Words   |  3 Pageswill be focused on is transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is intuition and individual conscience that helps lead to the truth. When transcendentalism began to start two people played a major role Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, but who is truly a transcendentalist. Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1803. His father was a minister as well as seven of his male family members. He graduated from Harvard University at the age of eighteen. Then he taughtRead MoreTranscendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Essay1096 Words   |  5 PagesHenry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau grew up in poverty; his dad was unsuccessful and had trouble maintaining a steady job. Thoreau followed in his father’s footsteps, ultimately bouncing from job to job, scorned by society for his unconventional way of living and lack of income (Henry David Thoreau, Discovering Biography). Thoreau began to write with the guidance of Ralph Waldo Emerson who became one of the most important influences in his life. LivingRead More Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as Fathers of Transcendentalism730 Words   |  3 PagesRalph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as Fathers of Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a movement in writing that took place in the mid-nineteenth century. It formed in the early to mid nineteenth century and reached it climax around 1850 during an era commonly referred to as the American Renaissance, America’s Golden Day, or the Flowering of New England. The basic tenets of Transcendentalism involve the relationships between one’s self and the world at large. First, the searchRead MoreTranscendentalism And Its Impact On Society1491 Words   |  6 Pagestheir identified ideology. The transcendentalists basically had this triangle where the basics of their beliefs were outlined, starting off with God at the top, the man in the left corner, and finally nature in the right corner, these could very well be the cornerstones of the transcendental belief system that they have in place. There were many areas that fell within in this triangle, but those are to be discussed later into this evaluation, but the transcendentalist was part of a movement duringRead MoreThe Similarities Of Transcendentalism And American Romanticism1386 Words   |  6 Pageswriting in the Transcendentalist movement believed that to reach their meaning one must be connected and comprehend nature, the world that they live in. Many thought that â€Å"knowledge comes through intuition and imagination† (UShistory.org, 2017, para. 2) rather than it coming from logic and physical things. For the Transcendentalists everything that had to do with a person was connected to spiritual being and one’s internal being. Over the external and physical world. Henry David Thoreau, one of theRead More Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesHenry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience â€Å"transcend† experienceRead MoreEssay on Transcendentalism1619 Words   |  7 Pagesand some would think that the idea was not understood at all and that was part of the idea. Henry David Thoreau once stated about himself, â€Å"I should have told them at once that I was a transcendentalist. That would have been the shortest way of telling them that they would not understand my explanations† (Reuben 1). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Even the people that called themselves â€Å"transcendentalists† had only their own thoughts of what transcendentalism was, which in turn were based on the thoughtsRead MoreEarly American Transcendentalism1204 Words   |  5 Pagestowards American society because it is not only a philosophy, but also a religion and physical progression. During the early nineteenth century, Ralph Emerson, Henry Thoreau, and other radical individuals challenged the present day theories of values, ethics, and what it means to live life to the fullest (Timko). If early American transcendentalists were living among civilians today, would present day civilians think the earlier activists were radical and psychotic? During this time, Ralph Waldo EmersonRead MoreThe Dream of the American Renaissance1016 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica prior, and expands upon the growing interest of the common man. The Period had writers of the Transcendentalist belief, who aspired to become lar ger than life itself; to ascend onto the level of a deity, and to break free from a dangerous world full of adversary. Their Dream of Ascendance, their goal of becoming independent, is the one thought that was fully realized throughout this period. The Transcendentalists at the time embraced being different, allowing themselves to become distant from the