Transcendentalism was a time in the early to middle 19th century in which ideas in culture, religion, literature and philosophy blossomed. The revolution started as a protest against culture and society in general and in particular, the doctrine of the Unitarian church that was being taught at Harvard Divinity School. The core belief of this time was that there was a central spiritual state that can only be seen through an individual’s intuition rather than through a religion.
Up until Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, Nature written in 1836, was published transcendentalism was not recognized as widely as it is today. This essay brought the movement to attention and it became a real cultural movement. It ended with a statement about how people need to have a revelation in their consciousness in order to emerge into a new idealist philosophy. Shortly after this essay was published, the Transcendentalism Club was formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Emerson and some of his fellow intellectuals. The group kept a journal called The Dial, and frequently wrote in it.
Most members of the Transcendentalism Club had the same mission, however some veered off the path. Some linked the mission of consciousness with the idea of a utopian society and social interactions. Other explicitly joined the idea with socialism. Overall, the movement was thought to be similar to a Romanticists way of thinking.
When I began to read transcendentalism poetry, I noticed common threads. The clearest trait that they all shared was that they in some way mentioned god or a higher power. Even while they were mentioning this power however, they talked mostly about inner strength and struggles. In some cases, such as Painting and Sculpture by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poems talked about art as a way to portray internal feelings. The content of transcendentalist poems was closely related to the poets’ feelings about religion and human intuition.
I really enjoyed reading transcendentalist poetry. The ideas behind the literature made a lot of sense to me and closely resembled what I personally believe. I think that the way the poets relayed their messages about human spirit not having to only be seen through religion was complete and justified through their work. Their feelings were shown very clearly but not in an overwhelming manner, the way that ideas should be shared in my opinion.
When I started reading poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson, I was immediately taken in. I enjoyed his relations between human and nature and respected his words very deeply. I think that he can get his point across clearly and concisely without having to say too much about religion. Although religion is mentioned throughout most of his works, it is mostly as a subtopic to his larger though which I considered a very nice detail of his poetry. In terms of what I think literature could do, I believe that transcendentalist poets make valid points in a not overwhelming way so that I could enjoy and above all respect their words.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Transcendentalism Creative Art
The illustration that I made is a tree that has broken some of its branches off with its own hands and is now holding them up. The tree and the hands represents a human who has broken down a little bit but is still holding themself up. Also, I included two Chinese symbols around the tree. The one on the left stands for respect and the one on the right represents nature. These two words I found very relevant to the transcendentalism way of thinking so I decided to surround the "broken" tree with them. Lastly, I put the phrase "Carpe Diem" underneath the tree which means seize the day. I thought that it was motivational and had to do with self satisfaction and decisions which are very important to transcendentalists.
Transcendentalism Art
This picture of a girl sitting upon a section of hovering grass depicts several elements that are important regarding the transcendentalism movement. The first detail of the sketch that stands out is that the girl has tree branches and leaves instead of hair. Looking closely, it becomes evident that she also has roots for hands and no clothes on but only leaves covering a small portion of her upper body. She is sitting cross legged and has her eyes closed as though she is meditating. The sketch is extremely moving when you look and see that she is in fact her own planet in the solar system and is next to Saturn and some other planets can be seen in the distance. The idea that she is her own planet very much follows the transcendentalism movement and all that it stands for. In transcendentalism, it is thought that you should have self striving moments and your religious and philosophical ideas should come from spiritual and mental feelings. This picture very much shows these ideas in a spiritual way. She is a tree which means she has her own roots and can hold herself standing though anything. Also, the fact that she can provide her own orbit in space is powerful and fulfilling. In all of the poems that I researched, there was a common thread of nature and natural elements of the world. For example, in "Hope is a Thing with Feathers" by Emily Dickenson, a person was portrayed as a bird. This is similar to the sketch that is shown above. Nature is important to personal development and spiritual and mental feelings because it surrounds you all the time and is what you have to live in and interact with. The drawing perfectly shows this because the girl is no longer just a human but a live tree in her environment trying to stay in orbit and find her way through the universe.
Transcendentalism Explication
Of all the poems that I researched and read through, "Good-By" by Ralph Waldo Emerson was the most personal and reflective poem that I found. The speaker is talking about leaving the world to go back home. While this would be a sad occasion for most people, the way the message is conveyed in the poem shows joy and happiness to go to where they want to be. This memorandum is spoken with a tone of excitement and integrity. The speaker is not at all concerned with the way that he looks to the rest of the world; all that matters to him is that he gets to be back home. It is evident that he has experienced all that he needs to see and doesn't want to stay somewhere where he is not happy anymore. The tone used is the most important technique in this poem. Without the proud attitude reflected, the speaker would not be able to convey his message so effortlessly. It is clear to the reader that the speaker has already found his identity and now cannot wait to go somewhere that he knows it will be appreciated and accepted. This is especially obvious when Emerson states, "I laugh at the lore and pride of man" because it is so pronounced that he does not care what anyone else thinks and finds the pride that other men have humorous because he is far above it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson uses specific imagery in order to let the reader see exactly what he sees. In the first stanza, Emerson illustrates how he thinks the world portrays him by stating "Long through thy weary crowds I roam; A river-ark on the ocean brine, Long I've been tossed like the driven foam." He uses the description of the river-arc being next to the ocean water in order to make the reader aware that this is how he feels beside the rest of the world considering how small the river is in comparison to the ocean. However even while the river is smaller, when it gets to the ocean it opens up and mixes in with the rest of the water. This is similar to the way that Emerson feels when he is home, feeling like he is at peace and one with his surroundings.
The most important and moving part of the poem occurs in the second stanza when the speaker is saying his goodbyes to the world. He specifically picks certain things to say his farewells too which show the reader what is important to him. Emerson says goodbye to "Flattery's fawning face", "Grandeur, with his wise grimace", "Wealth's averted eye", "Office high and low", "crowded halls", "frozen hearts" and "fasting feet". However even with all of these things, he still says that he wants to say goodbye "to those who go, and those who come". This shows that he wants to end things even to the people that come and go throughout his life. In life there are many people who come into your life but don't stay for one reason or another. Your home is the only thing that does not leave you and will remain yours forever. No matter how far away you go, you can always go back and see what you left behind. People do not remain the same in this way, so giving a farewell can be a permanent gesture. In this poem the speaker's tone reveals that while saying goodbye to those who are around you, these words give you the freedom to go on with your life and go wherever your heart takes you.
When the speaker talks about his home, the language and fluidity in his thoughts are evident. The way that he writes and the descriptions that he uses show how fond he is of his home and what it means for him to go there. The first thing he says regarding this place is "I am going back to my own hearth-stone". When reading this line, the reader feels a sense of happiness for the speaker that he can go back to the place that he remembers so fondly. In life there are so many things that are strictly your own, but the most important and memorable of all is the place you call home. Some people do not remember this place fondly, so the fact that this speaker can have such intense admiration for his home is very special. In line 17-18, Emerson says "A secret nook in a pleasant land, whose groves the frolic fairies planned." These lines take his home from being just a house he is fond of to a magical abode. They bring his respect for his dwelling to a new high with the imagery and tone that are used.
Ralph Waldo Emerson uses particular literary devices in order to make the poem flow more naturally while keeping the tone as the most important element. He uses a rhyme scheme on the last words of each line in order to tie the poem together. This technique keeps the reader’s attention and makes the words more pronounced. The most repeated word that is used to rhyme is "home". This is used so that the reader notices "home" as being important and useful to implementing the theme. Also, after each stanza is broken up, the reader gets a different feeling every time they start reading again. After the first section which deals with how the speaker wants to leave the environment he is in, the subject changes to saying goodbye to his surroundings. From here, there is another switch to what his home is like and how fond of it he is. Between the second and third stanza, there is a change in the tone. When the speaker talks about his goodbyes, his tone is mellow and not happy at all, but then when he is talking about actually going home he becomes excited and blissful.
A very important element involved in the construction of the poem is that there are only two times in the poem when God is mentioned. Even more noticeable is that these times are when the speaker is talking about his home and how important it is to him, both occurring in the last two stanzas. The first time that God is mentioned reads, "Echo the blackbirds roundelay, and vulgar feet have never trod a spot that is sacred to thought and God." It is more important because the mention of God is in unison with his thoughts. This line shows the importance of the transcendentalism movement. When religion is spoken about, it is key that it is in association with thoughts and personal beliefs. By having these two mentions at the end of the poem it helps to implement the importance of religion but only in terms of the transcendentalism way of thinking. The speaker has found his identity and is now moving on to things that he is doing for himself. It is important to mention God here when the speaker has found his path in life and knows he is going home for his own satisfaction.
Although each stanza talks about a specific aspect of saying goodbye to the world in order to do something that the speaker wants to do, they all come together to make the general message of the poem clear. Initially starting with how much the speaker is aware that "thou'rt( the world) not my friend and I'm not thine" it is clear to the audience how much he doesn't care for the world around him. Saying goodbye comes next but this is not hard for him at all. He says goodbye to the things that he is aware of around him all the time but does not seem sad at all. The only time in the poem that he is happy and excited about things is in the third and fourth stanzas when he talks about going home and then finally being home. The way that the tone shifts before the third stanza further implements the change in his feelings. By the end of the poem each stanza has painted a vivid picture for the reader so it is evident that the speaker has found his identity and is pleased with what he has become. "Good-By" by Ralph Waldo Emerson sticks very closely with to transcendentalism ideas and shows explicitly what it means to go home again.
Ralph Waldo Emerson uses specific imagery in order to let the reader see exactly what he sees. In the first stanza, Emerson illustrates how he thinks the world portrays him by stating "Long through thy weary crowds I roam; A river-ark on the ocean brine, Long I've been tossed like the driven foam." He uses the description of the river-arc being next to the ocean water in order to make the reader aware that this is how he feels beside the rest of the world considering how small the river is in comparison to the ocean. However even while the river is smaller, when it gets to the ocean it opens up and mixes in with the rest of the water. This is similar to the way that Emerson feels when he is home, feeling like he is at peace and one with his surroundings.
The most important and moving part of the poem occurs in the second stanza when the speaker is saying his goodbyes to the world. He specifically picks certain things to say his farewells too which show the reader what is important to him. Emerson says goodbye to "Flattery's fawning face", "Grandeur, with his wise grimace", "Wealth's averted eye", "Office high and low", "crowded halls", "frozen hearts" and "fasting feet". However even with all of these things, he still says that he wants to say goodbye "to those who go, and those who come". This shows that he wants to end things even to the people that come and go throughout his life. In life there are many people who come into your life but don't stay for one reason or another. Your home is the only thing that does not leave you and will remain yours forever. No matter how far away you go, you can always go back and see what you left behind. People do not remain the same in this way, so giving a farewell can be a permanent gesture. In this poem the speaker's tone reveals that while saying goodbye to those who are around you, these words give you the freedom to go on with your life and go wherever your heart takes you.
When the speaker talks about his home, the language and fluidity in his thoughts are evident. The way that he writes and the descriptions that he uses show how fond he is of his home and what it means for him to go there. The first thing he says regarding this place is "I am going back to my own hearth-stone". When reading this line, the reader feels a sense of happiness for the speaker that he can go back to the place that he remembers so fondly. In life there are so many things that are strictly your own, but the most important and memorable of all is the place you call home. Some people do not remember this place fondly, so the fact that this speaker can have such intense admiration for his home is very special. In line 17-18, Emerson says "A secret nook in a pleasant land, whose groves the frolic fairies planned." These lines take his home from being just a house he is fond of to a magical abode. They bring his respect for his dwelling to a new high with the imagery and tone that are used.
Ralph Waldo Emerson uses particular literary devices in order to make the poem flow more naturally while keeping the tone as the most important element. He uses a rhyme scheme on the last words of each line in order to tie the poem together. This technique keeps the reader’s attention and makes the words more pronounced. The most repeated word that is used to rhyme is "home". This is used so that the reader notices "home" as being important and useful to implementing the theme. Also, after each stanza is broken up, the reader gets a different feeling every time they start reading again. After the first section which deals with how the speaker wants to leave the environment he is in, the subject changes to saying goodbye to his surroundings. From here, there is another switch to what his home is like and how fond of it he is. Between the second and third stanza, there is a change in the tone. When the speaker talks about his goodbyes, his tone is mellow and not happy at all, but then when he is talking about actually going home he becomes excited and blissful.
A very important element involved in the construction of the poem is that there are only two times in the poem when God is mentioned. Even more noticeable is that these times are when the speaker is talking about his home and how important it is to him, both occurring in the last two stanzas. The first time that God is mentioned reads, "Echo the blackbirds roundelay, and vulgar feet have never trod a spot that is sacred to thought and God." It is more important because the mention of God is in unison with his thoughts. This line shows the importance of the transcendentalism movement. When religion is spoken about, it is key that it is in association with thoughts and personal beliefs. By having these two mentions at the end of the poem it helps to implement the importance of religion but only in terms of the transcendentalism way of thinking. The speaker has found his identity and is now moving on to things that he is doing for himself. It is important to mention God here when the speaker has found his path in life and knows he is going home for his own satisfaction.
Although each stanza talks about a specific aspect of saying goodbye to the world in order to do something that the speaker wants to do, they all come together to make the general message of the poem clear. Initially starting with how much the speaker is aware that "thou'rt( the world) not my friend and I'm not thine" it is clear to the audience how much he doesn't care for the world around him. Saying goodbye comes next but this is not hard for him at all. He says goodbye to the things that he is aware of around him all the time but does not seem sad at all. The only time in the poem that he is happy and excited about things is in the third and fourth stanzas when he talks about going home and then finally being home. The way that the tone shifts before the third stanza further implements the change in his feelings. By the end of the poem each stanza has painted a vivid picture for the reader so it is evident that the speaker has found his identity and is pleased with what he has become. "Good-By" by Ralph Waldo Emerson sticks very closely with to transcendentalism ideas and shows explicitly what it means to go home again.
Transcendentalism Poetry Reflections
List of Poems:
A Child's Evening Prayer By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Eros By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Give It All To Love By Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Man May Make a Remark By Emily Dickenson
Desire By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Painting and Sculpture By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hope is a Thing with Feathers By Emily Dickenson
The Concord Hymn By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Goodby By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Transcendentalism poetry has a common theme of identity and personal development while dealing with nature and how nature affects a human's wills and desires. When dealing with Ralph Waldo Emerson, most of his poetry deals with nature and the world as a whole. While doing this he mentions God in the majority of his works. Ironically, the name of one of the poems that was analyzed from Emerson was "Eros". "Eros" was the Greek god of sexual love and beauty. This is different however from the religious aspects that are included in his poetry because Greek mythology deals mainly with spiritual beliefs. "Eros" talks about how there is a sense in the world but it is short and most men and gods have not discovered it yet. However while this is true when they eventually find it, it is too late to change or improve anything. This message is important to transcendentalism because "Eros" deals with finding identity through nature and the surrounding world.
Other works from Emerson such as "Give All to Love" have different techniques in their construction. In the first stanza, there is a list of things that Emerson thinks a human should not deny love too. As in "Eros", this poem mentions God when it says "But it is a god, knows it's own path and the outlets of the sky." Although God is being spoken of, it is used to compare love by saying that love "is a god". Rhyming is also used in the poem in order to keep the words flowing and have there be a particular meter. The stanzas are longer and there are more of them than in some of his other works, but the way that they are constructed make the poem easier to read and more enjoyable. "Painting and Sculpture" is a shorter poem but is extremely interesting. The diction used in the poem is intriguing because of the way he spells things. In the second line Emerson uses "drest" instead of dressed but the way it is spelled adds another dimension to the poem's meaning. It brings more attention to the words and so the audience reads more closely. Also the contrast between the "sinful painter" and the "godlike sculptor" grab the reader’s attention to see that the painter needs to have the woman with no clothes on to create art but the sculptor can see the beauty regardless of what she is or is not wearing. Another poem by Emerson, "the Concord Hymn" talks about war and hard times. Random capitalization is used when "Time" or "Nature" are mentioned throughout the poem. This is used to make it clear that these two things are the most important elements and should be paid specific attention too. Both time and nature are essential when talking about transcendentalism poetry because they drive home the point of "spiritual and mental essence" (Wikipedia). War and power struggles deal closely with inner growth and spirit, both important topics for this time period. The last poem that was analyzed was "Good-By" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This poem dealt the most closely with personal reflection. From a literary standpoint, there was a lot of repetition used. "Good-bye, proud world! I'm going home," was repeated in most stanzas at least once which made the point much clearer. It seemed that "proud world" was used a bit sarcastically because throughout the poem he made it very clear that he did not really like or appreciate the world in which he lived in.
In contrast to some of Emerson's works, "A Child's Evening Prayer" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge dealt very closely with religion. Even in the title religion is mentioned and this continues throughout the entire poem where "O God" is mentioned frequently. The syntax of the poem makes it clear that this poem is also a prayer that Coleridge has written. By having there be short sentences sometimes starting off with "God", "O God", or "and may" it becomes clear to the reader that a child would say this prayer before bed in order to ask God to make sure that their parents have "hope and joy" and other such requests. "Desire" another work by Coleridge is very opposite to "A Child's Evening Prayer". This poem does not have any religious mention and strictly sticks to talking about nature. It is a more traditionally transcendentalist type poem. Even though this poem is only four lines, it is very powerful, talking about how desire is "love's purest flame" "but it translates the meaning of the heart". The message that it sends shows that nature and love are the purest forms of human longing and that with these things you will be able to express desire.
Emily Dickenson takes another approach towards transcendentalism thinking. In her works she mostly focuses on nature and how it affects human thinking. "A Man May Make a Remark" deals with how people can say something which in itself is not a big deal but that statement "may furnish the fuse unto a spark" which means that it will start out as a small thing but then become a much bigger deal. Human intuition is a big part of this poem because some people know and will listen more closely to people which in the long run is a good trait to possess. Emily Dickenson was saying that if you pay attention to the little things you can often stop them from becoming a bigger deal than they should be. In "Hope is the Thing with Feathers" Dickenson is comparing hope to a bird. By looking at the imagery that is used this can be concluded. There are many descriptive adjectives and figurative language that are used in this poem in order to make the image vivid and real. It fits the transcendentalism way of thinking because it strongly deals with the way that nature is always there and is sweet and caring but it never asks for anything in return. Nature is something that will always surround people and be there when they need it but it takes a certain person to be able to appreciate it for what it is.
A Child's Evening Prayer By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Eros By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Give It All To Love By Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Man May Make a Remark By Emily Dickenson
Desire By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Painting and Sculpture By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hope is a Thing with Feathers By Emily Dickenson
The Concord Hymn By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Goodby By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Transcendentalism poetry has a common theme of identity and personal development while dealing with nature and how nature affects a human's wills and desires. When dealing with Ralph Waldo Emerson, most of his poetry deals with nature and the world as a whole. While doing this he mentions God in the majority of his works. Ironically, the name of one of the poems that was analyzed from Emerson was "Eros". "Eros" was the Greek god of sexual love and beauty. This is different however from the religious aspects that are included in his poetry because Greek mythology deals mainly with spiritual beliefs. "Eros" talks about how there is a sense in the world but it is short and most men and gods have not discovered it yet. However while this is true when they eventually find it, it is too late to change or improve anything. This message is important to transcendentalism because "Eros" deals with finding identity through nature and the surrounding world.
Other works from Emerson such as "Give All to Love" have different techniques in their construction. In the first stanza, there is a list of things that Emerson thinks a human should not deny love too. As in "Eros", this poem mentions God when it says "But it is a god, knows it's own path and the outlets of the sky." Although God is being spoken of, it is used to compare love by saying that love "is a god". Rhyming is also used in the poem in order to keep the words flowing and have there be a particular meter. The stanzas are longer and there are more of them than in some of his other works, but the way that they are constructed make the poem easier to read and more enjoyable. "Painting and Sculpture" is a shorter poem but is extremely interesting. The diction used in the poem is intriguing because of the way he spells things. In the second line Emerson uses "drest" instead of dressed but the way it is spelled adds another dimension to the poem's meaning. It brings more attention to the words and so the audience reads more closely. Also the contrast between the "sinful painter" and the "godlike sculptor" grab the reader’s attention to see that the painter needs to have the woman with no clothes on to create art but the sculptor can see the beauty regardless of what she is or is not wearing. Another poem by Emerson, "the Concord Hymn" talks about war and hard times. Random capitalization is used when "Time" or "Nature" are mentioned throughout the poem. This is used to make it clear that these two things are the most important elements and should be paid specific attention too. Both time and nature are essential when talking about transcendentalism poetry because they drive home the point of "spiritual and mental essence" (Wikipedia). War and power struggles deal closely with inner growth and spirit, both important topics for this time period. The last poem that was analyzed was "Good-By" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This poem dealt the most closely with personal reflection. From a literary standpoint, there was a lot of repetition used. "Good-bye, proud world! I'm going home," was repeated in most stanzas at least once which made the point much clearer. It seemed that "proud world" was used a bit sarcastically because throughout the poem he made it very clear that he did not really like or appreciate the world in which he lived in.
In contrast to some of Emerson's works, "A Child's Evening Prayer" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge dealt very closely with religion. Even in the title religion is mentioned and this continues throughout the entire poem where "O God" is mentioned frequently. The syntax of the poem makes it clear that this poem is also a prayer that Coleridge has written. By having there be short sentences sometimes starting off with "God", "O God", or "and may" it becomes clear to the reader that a child would say this prayer before bed in order to ask God to make sure that their parents have "hope and joy" and other such requests. "Desire" another work by Coleridge is very opposite to "A Child's Evening Prayer". This poem does not have any religious mention and strictly sticks to talking about nature. It is a more traditionally transcendentalist type poem. Even though this poem is only four lines, it is very powerful, talking about how desire is "love's purest flame" "but it translates the meaning of the heart". The message that it sends shows that nature and love are the purest forms of human longing and that with these things you will be able to express desire.
Emily Dickenson takes another approach towards transcendentalism thinking. In her works she mostly focuses on nature and how it affects human thinking. "A Man May Make a Remark" deals with how people can say something which in itself is not a big deal but that statement "may furnish the fuse unto a spark" which means that it will start out as a small thing but then become a much bigger deal. Human intuition is a big part of this poem because some people know and will listen more closely to people which in the long run is a good trait to possess. Emily Dickenson was saying that if you pay attention to the little things you can often stop them from becoming a bigger deal than they should be. In "Hope is the Thing with Feathers" Dickenson is comparing hope to a bird. By looking at the imagery that is used this can be concluded. There are many descriptive adjectives and figurative language that are used in this poem in order to make the image vivid and real. It fits the transcendentalism way of thinking because it strongly deals with the way that nature is always there and is sweet and caring but it never asks for anything in return. Nature is something that will always surround people and be there when they need it but it takes a certain person to be able to appreciate it for what it is.
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