Transcendentalism In Emersons The Narrative Of The Life...

As humans, we take heart in subscribing to certain beliefs, and we do this with great ease and alacrity; after all, vague ideals seem easy enough to adopt when merely on paper. We experience difficulties, however, when forced to translate these beliefs into actions. In Frederick Douglass’s 1845 The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the self-agency Douglass utilizes to escape the bondage of slavery seems similar to the actualization that comes through trusting one’s own interior instincts Ralph Waldo Emerson urges readers to cultivate in his 1841 essay on â€Å"Self-Reliance†; and the similarities and differences between key passages in both texts ultimately help characterize the nature of the link between the†¦show more content†¦Though the existence of some objective moral code may appear to contradict Emerson’s â€Å"insist on yourself, never imitate† motto on individuality and the self, ultimately, Emerson m eans that self-truth is the most sacred truth, and that some degree of right and wrong exists in Nature. On the most basic level, self-reliance refers to the process of self-betterment, not through organized religion or worship, but from looking within, from taking matters into one’s own hands and listening to one’s internal sense. When in touch with this sense, men will arrive at conclusions that have a certain Natural quality; they will just feel right. Eventually, Emerson translates this philosophy into a staunch defense of the cause of abolitionism. In his essay on the relationship between Frederick Douglass and Emerson titled â€Å"Militant Abolitionism: Douglass, Emerson, and the Rise of the Anti-Slave†, Len Gougeon explains that in Emerson’s first speech against slavery, Emerson called for â€Å"opposition, at once vigorous and militant, by reformers, by the state and by slaves themselves.† Although Emerson doesn’t completely obliterate the role of white people in the fight for freedom, Emerson ultimately believes that â€Å"the responsibility slaves bear for achieving their freedom far outweighs anything an abolitionist might do for them†, and in order to truly escape bondage, slaves must becomeShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglass Narrative Analysis1333 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout his Narrative, Frederick Douglass exposes his belief that freedom from slavery comes through a combination of knowledge and self-agency, and through his personal experience, delineates a model for abolitionism. Although his Narrative does represent an autobiography, Douglass has a higher purpose in mind beyond simple recollection; Douglass wants to convert people to the cause of abolitionism and illuminate what it truly means to join the cause, through exposition of his own life and experiencesRead More The American Renaissance Essay1168 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical heir of American nationalism evolved with the Gilded Age and New Imperialism school of thought. The American Renaissance produced major influential literary works from some of the most brilliant minds in U.S. history, including Ralph Waldo Emersons the Representative Man (1850), Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlett Letter (1850) and The House of Seven Gables (1851), Herman Melvilles Moby-Dick, Henry David Thoreaus Walden (1854), and Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass (1855). AmericanRead MoreTranscendentalism, A Powerful Intellectual And Philosophical Movement1781 Words   |  8 PagesTranscendentalism, a powerful intellectual and philosophical movement founded by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the early nineteenth century, was guided by the principle that individuals are inherently good and function at their best when they are independent and self-reliant. Striving to produce a philosophy that would serve a new nation, transcendentalists believed that religious institutions and political parties would eventually corrupt the natural pure goodness of man. Transcendentalist ideology furtherRead More Change Through Thought- American Romantics and Radicals Essay3158 Words   |  13 PagesMargaret Fuller promoted her ideas of female equality. Fourth, Frederick Douglass showed a side of slavery that had not been seen before. Finally, Walt Whitman’s new style of writing changed writing and perceptions of America. None of these people promoted immediate change. Instead, they all inspired and promoted thought about their various topics, and hoped, through thought, that there would be change. In one of Emerson’s initial writings, Nature, written in 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson suggestsRead MoreThe History of American Literature3501 Words   |  15 PagesRaleigh, Richard Hakluyt, Thomas Harriot, and John White had published accounts of discoveries. The writings of Captain John Smith, an explorer whose travels took him up and down the eastern seaboard of America, represent a shift from exploration narrative toward early history. Early histories, however, were written mostly by settlers rather than by explorers. William Bradford, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony, wrote his Of Plymouth Plantation from 1620 to 1647 . Another important historian