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Two Examples Of Transcendentalism

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Transcendentalism is a topic generally used throughout stories that have Romanticism. It uses different types of transcendentalism throughout all of the stories that are themed around transcendentalism. They have their own thoughts for what they think is right and ideas to living a fun and a way you want to live your own life. Emerson's “Nature” and Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” are good examples of transcendentalism because these texts show people believing in the goodness of people, living a simple life, having a close relationship with nature, and celebrating emotions and imagination. In the text Nature, it uses a lot of transcendentalism describing characteristics in the text. In the text Nature, the author has a close relationship with nature. Emerson states “in the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough” (42). You can gain a good relationship with nature to live a simpler life. In the woods you can also enjoy yourself meaning you can have fun with …show more content…

In the text civil Disobedience, the author tells the readers how the government need to focus on the goodness of people. Thoreau states “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward” (1). The author thinks the government should focus more on the need for humans and the freedom of humans. The author also states that he is a non-conformist and he will only pay the taxes for thing he thinks are necessary to pay for. Thoreau says “I simply wish to refuse allegiance to the State, to withdraw and stand aloof from it effectively” (2). The author states he will only pay for the taxes that h e thinks are necessary to pay for. In the text Civil Disobedience, the author states how the government only focuses on themselves and that they don’t worry about other people in the

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540 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the writing “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau spoke often of the idea he supported, which was “That government is best which governs least;” In his text he talked about not paying the government’s poll tax for 6 years, causing him to be thrown in jail. A poll tax is a tax of an equal amount of money for each individual paying it. This poll tax was for waging war on Mexico, which Thoreau disagreed with, therefore he did not pay it. When talking about his time in jail, Thoreau used many different rhetorical strategies, including an intense appeal to Pathos, as well as major uses of imagery and symbolism in order to achieve his purpose of persuading his audience that the best type of government is one one of laissez-faire.

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1439 Words | 6 Pages

Thoreau used powerful speech in his essay about the act of civil disobedience, which he himself had done. Publication was not Thoreau’s only approach in his urge for change. Thoreau targeted the legislative system through his refused to pay taxes. He believed that if because he does not support the ideas of the government then he must not pay the taxes. This non-violent resistance to obey taxation brought about the attention of the government.

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886 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the writing of “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau often referred back to his idea that he supported which was “That government is best which governs not at all.” (Thoreau) In the passage, Thoreau believed that the government does not have a conscience. He talked about not wanting to pay the government poll tax, which in result, caused him to be thrown into jail. A poll tax is just a tax on a person for existing, therefore, everyone had to pay the same amount regardless of the value of their possessions.

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897 Words | 4 Pages

Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience heavily criticizes the government for being too corrupt and also argues that the people have the right to refuse allegiance to the State. Because the government is unjust and corrupt, Thoreau calls for a change in how the government operates rather than abolishing the government entirely. Thoreau’s idea of a better government is a government that governs the least. This claim is elaborated as Thoreau states in his essay that the individuals with consciences should rule instead of the government officials that lack said consciences. For example, in part 1 paragraph 4, he mocks individuals such as soldiers and privates for showing respect to the government through marching admirably because they are going

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759 Words | 4 Pages

The essay “Civil Disobedience” is about the individuals facing the society they live in, as well as the fight against injustice. Thoreau says in his essay, “I think we should be men first, and subjects afterwards” (392). Thoreau says that they should act as citizens of a community before they act as subjects of the government as well as society. Thoreau also states that, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to so at any time what I think is right” (392). This means that at any point in time, as long as the individual does what he believes is right, society’s (as well as government, in this case) standards do not apply.

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791 Words | 4 Pages

Thoreau’s essay focuses on his belief that the individual has the right and the duty to protest unjust laws or an unjust government. He even spent the night in jail because he refused to pay the poll tax in order to protest the Mexican American War. Thoreau’s night in jail was the inspiration for his reasoning that “There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are deviated, and treats him accordingly.” (Thoreau 1872). He believed in the power of the individual as an essential part of the State and that “a single man can bend [the government] to his will.”

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This lifestyle, means that one is exempt from taxes or any other enforced laws and regulations, as a Transcendentalist disagrees with the very core of the state. So, under the guise of moral responsibility, civil disobedience is a way to act for their own personal gain. McCandless has a distaste for government, having strong views on various politicians, many of which he dislikes. His political leanings are reminiscent of Thoreau’s essay ‘On Duty of Civil Disobedience’, and can be summed up with, “ ‘I heartily accept the motto - ‘That

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422 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout history there have been many political changes that are either supported, or not, by citizens. In the given passage from, "Civil Disobedience," by Thoreau, a perspective of disagreeing with the government ways, is provided. Thoreau explains how a government should be in comparison to how it really is by utilizing his words to set the tone and mode, imagery to achieve his audience's understanding, and diction to make his writing scholarly. Although tone and mode are not directly stated, you can infer that Thoreau meant for his writing to be taken as serious and powerful. His implementation of words such as, "inexpedient," "execute," " integrity," and "command," makes one think about their lawful rights and reflect on what rights are supported or

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897 Words | 4 Pages

He objected the injustices of war and slavery, and practiced civil disobedience in his daily life. In the time of Thoreau writing Civil Disobedience, many people believed revolution against the government had not been necessary since the time of the American Revolution. However, Thoreau believes that resisting an abusive government is especially important at this point in time considering that, "a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law." According to Thoreau, it is the duty of American citizens to promptly revolutionize against slavery and the Mexican-American War, which have both been supported by the corrupted American

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1009 Words | 5 Pages

Imagine living in a place where there is no stress, no mainstream society problems, just you, and your freedom. This is called living a transcendentalist life. Transcendentalism is an idealistic philosophical and social movement that developed in New England around 1836 in reaction to rationalism. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures.

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923 Words | 4 Pages

In the eyes of Henry David Thoreau, civil disobedience is the concept of people standing up for what they believe is corruption—even if the rest of society disagrees—through refusal to comply by conducting peaceful protests and boycotting. Throughout history, numerous groups of people have been seen conducting civil disobedience by the precedent of Thoreau’s works to successfully reform dishonorable elements of the law. A specific instance of this is the African Americans who transformed a discriminating society through nonviolent defiance through events such as the March on Washington. The 1963 March on Washington exemplifies the beliefs of Henry Thoreau in his essay, On The Duty of Civil Disobedience, by the planning of a congregation of

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794 Words | 4 Pages

M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, is the story of a French diplomat, Rene Gallimard, living in China (then later Paris) circa 1970-1986. He falls in love with a China opera star, Song Liling, after seeing her perform in a production of Madame Butterfly, the Puccini opera. They have a romantic love affair for more than twenty years. Gallimard never realizes that his lover is a man and a spy. This is a true story is about sexual and racial stereotyping, Western imperialism, and reality vs. fantasy.

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149 Words | 1 Pages

Transcendentalism is the idea that every person, man or woman, has some sort of knowledge about themselves that goes beyond what they can see, hear, smell, and taste. It “Transcends” past these regular sensory inputs and goes deep into their mind, body, and soul. The knowledge that they receive doesn't merely come from logic, but it comes from their imagination and their intuition as well. People who are known as Transcendentalists take these ideas and can accept them as a way to strengthen the relationships that they have around them. Whether it may be with nature, or simply with the people around them, these ideas make life seem much more significant.

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1023 Words | 5 Pages

Transcendentalism is a philosophy, an attitude or a belief. It began somewhere in the early to mid 1800s. After that, it began reappearing around the 1960s and 1970s, in the form of “hippies,” the poster children for the essence of that era. Transcendentalism was a response to the tough, cut and dry lifestyle of the Puritans. Puritans believed in predestination, the fact that nature was evil, and that conformity was one of the most important things in a society.

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1198 Words | 5 Pages

What Thoreau means by the Civil Disobedience is that every person should be govern more by his own moral compass that gives him much clearer answer to his deeds, rather than some laws of a government. “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward.” (1)

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