Ralph Waldo Emerson's Transcendentalist Beliefs

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Transcendentalist Beliefs in “Self-Reliance” Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were William Emerson and Ruth Haskins. He was the third of eight children. Emerson attended Harvard University and graduated in 1821 Early on, he showed a talent in declamation and writing. After his graduation, he taught at his brother’s schools for a few years. In 1825, Emerson returned to Harvard to study theology and divinity. Afterwards, he became a minister for a unitarian church, and preached his first sermon in 1826 in “an episode that marked the beginning of his long career as a speaker” (Yang 729). In 1829, Emerson met Ellen Tucker and they later got married. However, in 1831,

One such writer, Thomas Carlyle, influenced Emerson’s transcendentalist beliefs. He then returned to Concord, Massachusetts, where he met and married Lydia Jackson, and had four children. In 1838, Emerson developed a friendship with his neighbor, Henry David Thoreau, who was also a writer. Over the next few years, they would start the Transcendentalist club to write about and discuss philosophy, art, education, and religion. Ralph Waldo Emerson reveals his transcendentalist belief in his writings, especially in “Self-Reliance. Transcendentalism is a philosophy in which self-reliance, self-importance, and self-trust are emphasized. Transcendentalist see the world and themselves on a philosophical or moral level, so they are able to observe their spirit and sense perception, which leads them into transcending and participating in a higher reality. The physical universe is a representation of the spiritual world. The goal is to be a nonconformist, which is a person who doesn’t rely on others and should “insist on yourself, never imitate” (Phillips 34). People in society are worried too much about what others think, so the can’t think on their own. Transcendentalism is sometimes called the religion of nature,

This essay maintains the themes of the self, youth, and tradition, and includes religious, philosophical, and political thought. The primary focus in the essay is self-reliance and the philosophy of individualism. “Self-Reliance” is considered one of Emerson’s most fully developed statements on the individualism philosophy. Part of being self-reliant means “we are entitled to trust our deepest convictions of what is true and right” (Buell 59). Emerson states that if we act according to our true feelings, then we will live a sound life. Interactions between the soul and God are important, because Emerson believes that each person has an inner light so God must be in every person. If a person depends only on God, then they are a nonconformist. Solitude contributes to this growth on an independent spirit, but society is detrimental, because a person loses their moral sentiment. Emerson’s style is complex, and he combines many different ideas and feelings into this work. “The author sets forth the path for the reader to follow, almost as if he is trying to force the reader to be self-reliant in order to successfully read about self-reliance” (Myerson 318). Emerson’s use of a aphoristic style can be seen in one of the most important quotes in “Self-Reliance.” “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string” (Porte 279). This quote summarizes the whole essay and also