My Reaction to Transcendentalism
After reading the Transcendentalist works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, I was surprised at my reaction to them. From what I had originally heard, the Transcendentalist works were boring essays. However, after reading them, I discovered that I can relate to many things that Emerson and Thoreau discuss in their papers. Though I liked Emerson more than I liked Thoreau, both of them impressed me with their ability to take such a strong stand on issues that most people can identify with.
One Transcendentalist piece that we read was “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This excerpt describes Emerson’s views on nature and how it affects man. He says that in nature, man becomes like a child and is able to enjoy a “perfect exhilaration.” When he experiences the calm and peacefulness of nature, Emerson feels as though he has returned to reason and faith and has found his true self. He then goes on to describe how he becomes a......
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Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |