Ralph Waldo Emerson and Transcendentalism

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Ralph Waldo Emerson and Transcendentalism
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What is Transcendentalism?

• Transcendentalism was a literary movement that
  flourished during the middle 19th Century (1836
  1860).
• It began as a rebellion against traditionally
  held beliefs by the English Church that God
  superseded the individual.

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Core Beliefs of Transcendentalism

• Finding its root in the word transcend,
  Transcendentalists believed
• individuals could transcend to a higher being of
  existence in nature.
• The individual should experience Gods greatness
  through the beauty he has created (nature) and
  draw strength from it.
• God is located in the soul of each individual and
  it is their job to find him.
• Humanitys potential is limitless.
• Experience is valued over academic study.
• Spiritual, not material existence is essential to
  truly discovering yourself.
• Simplicity, self-reliance, and individualism is
  vital.

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What is your basic philosophy of life?

• What are your core beliefs?
• Explain.
• Do you believe there is a connection between the
  individual spirit and nature?

• How is transcendentalism a branch of Romanticism?
• Explain.

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The Founder of Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo
Emerson
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Emersons Early Life

• Born on Election Day in 1803 in Boston, MA.
• Born on the same street as the birth home of
  Benjamin Franklin.
• Father was a famous minister who encouraged young
  Ralph to pursue philosophy at a young age.

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Early Trials

• Father passes away at age 8 and Emerson is left
  to support his four other brothers.
• Ralph was asked to share a coat with his brother
  Edward to save finances.
• Despite the hardships, all the Emerson boys,
  except one, graduated from Harvard University.

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Teacher and Priest

• After graduation, Emerson became a school teacher
  in suburban Boston.
• 1823 graduated from seminary school and became a
  priest to follow in the footsteps of his father.

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Introduction to Transcendental Thought

• In 1831 makes his first trip to England where he
  meets poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William
  Wordsworth who introduce him to Romantic notions
  of nature and philosophy.

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Transcendentalist Philosopher

• Returns to Concord, MA in 1835 and writes his
  first important work Nature which describes how
  humans find God within nature
• In the woods is perpetual youth In the woods
  we return to reason and faith.

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Famous Lecturer

• Emerson went on to become a famous lecturer
  sharing his transcendental philosophy throughout
  the country. Among his quotable phrases
• Trust thyself every heart vibrates to that iron
  string.
• To be great is to be misunderstood.

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Late Life and Death

• Upset in the 1860s by the coming of the Civil
  War, lived a quiet life with his family.
• His house burnt to the ground in 1872.
• Died on April 27th, 1882.

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Requirements of Transcendentalism Unit

1. Worksheets on Emerson and Thoreau (25 points
   each)
2. Textbook study questions on Thoreau and Emerson
   (10 points each)
3. Study Guide for Dead Poets Society (50 points)
4. Transcendentalism Project PPT (75 points).

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Please stand for Think on Your Feet