No fear Transcendentalism!
2 posters
Blida Department of English: Free Stand to Stand Free :: The English Department :: Everything About the Modules :: Third year
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No fear Transcendentalism!
by Ezinma Sun Mar 08, 2009 11:12 pm
Many of us believe that Transcendentalism is a frightening notion, we
may hear frequently "oh!! Transc..en...denta..lism...! "
. Check this
out please, I'm sure you'll come out with a better understanding
.
may hear frequently "oh!! Transc..en...denta..lism...! "
. Check thisout please, I'm sure you'll come out with a better understanding
.Click here
or
Here
or
Here
Ezinma- Number of posts : 491
Registration date : 2009-02-25
Re: No fear Transcendentalism!
by Hush Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:09 pm
Greaaat! thank you very much indeed. This movement is so influential in the history of the United States of America and has an impact on philosophy, theology and literature as well. The whole American identity is in a way or another related to the concepts initiated by the movement and may be it's finnest representation in literature is the American Romantic movement.I hope we'll have a discussion about it and how it was influential.
Hush- Number of posts : 529
Age : 39
Location : Dreaming land
Registration date : 2008-09-17
Re: No fear Transcendentalism!
by Ezinma Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:12 pm
Hi,
You're welcome..Actually this movement is difficult to be grasped by most of students, primarily because it is complex and also most of us are conviced that they can never understand it..Transcendentalism-phobia.
(I'm suffering from it too!!)
I'll be so glad to discuss it sooner.
You're welcome..Actually this movement is difficult to be grasped by most of students, primarily because it is complex and also most of us are conviced that they can never understand it..Transcendentalism-phobia.
(I'm suffering from it too!!)I'll be so glad to discuss it sooner.
Ezinma- Number of posts : 491
Registration date : 2009-02-25
Re: No fear Transcendentalism!
by Hush Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:11 am
Hello, If I were you I would not say it's difficult because it's gonna hinder you from getting closer to it and you'll have your phobia ever because when you believe something is true, it comes to be true for you (Only for nightmares 
). What is simple for me is more frightening because it has for sure a "deep structure" which is much more complicated.
In transcendentalism there are some principles that if understood can deliver the key to decipher the movement as a whole. Morover, do you think we have to understand the movement in order to understand it's influence? I believe not since the influence is a reflection on something, it's like when you're thirsty and you drink water, do you need to undestand that it is H2O in order to quench your thirst?
PS: I invite my other mates who are just passive and only reading to try to practice and share us their views, and we would be so glad about it.
). What is simple for me is more frightening because it has for sure a "deep structure" which is much more complicated.In transcendentalism there are some principles that if understood can deliver the key to decipher the movement as a whole. Morover, do you think we have to understand the movement in order to understand it's influence? I believe not since the influence is a reflection on something, it's like when you're thirsty and you drink water, do you need to undestand that it is H2O in order to quench your thirst?
PS: I invite my other mates who are just passive and only reading to try to practice and share us their views, and we would be so glad about it.
Hush- Number of posts : 529
Age : 39
Location : Dreaming land
Registration date : 2008-09-17
Re: No fear Transcendentalism!
by Ezinma Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:28 am
Hi , thank you very much for opennig this discussion, and I do agree with you not to say it’s difficult !!!, after a long dreary day surfing on the net and reading about transcendentalism, my phobia is soothed a bit.
From my point of view the influence of this movement is much bigger ,cos it impacts deeply not only American literature and writers like: Whitman, Dickinson, Hawthorne, Poe; but also the Americans in general, and as you said previously let me quote you « The whole American identity is in a way or another related to the concepts initiated by the movement".
I’ve read that several of its main ideas and concerns are engrained in the American cultural and political attitudes till today ( still need to understand it better ). Transcendentalism stresses individualism since it centers on the divinity of each individual “this divinity which is self-discovered only if the individual has the independence of mind to do so”, (or let’s say
free individuals with free thinking). It means that individuals could discover truth by intuition so no need to the established authority or institutions. It means also that people can trust themselves cos the knowledege they come through by their intuition is the ultimate reality. This lead us to another idea that men are valuable, their views should be respected cos they possess what the Transcendentalists call the Oversoul.
What is also important in this movement is that it’s relate to American idealism and exeptionalism, I mention here Emerson’s essay ‘The American scholar’ in which he ‘urges the Americans to stop looking to Europe for inspiration and imitation and be themselves’ . He shows the importance to remain true to one’s identity …. The American was urged to
trust his intuition as Emerson writes ‘trust thyself’ in his essay Self-Reliance. This is what inspired American idealism, and the unique American identity.
Optimism also characterizes transcendentalism, the transcentalists have feelings that all would be well cos the individual has the ability to trenscend limits , to go beyond what society dictates…. That’s what they mean also by ‘ to escape to nature’ cos in nature you escape all the customs imposed by society, and you live a simple life. Unfortunatly I have not gone far from the shore and read Thoreau’s Walden. I really wanted to go
through Emerson’s or Thoreau’s works but as the saying goes ( too much to read
too little time) .
Anyway, all what I’ve said is from the net, and from the site I recommended. This has knocked me out so InshAllah I’ll try to understand more about the movement's influence.Sorry if I make it so long!
Please if there're mistakes correct me!!
Looking forward to read other student's opinions !!!! Don't want it quiet in here mates!!!
... 
From my point of view the influence of this movement is much bigger ,cos it impacts deeply not only American literature and writers like: Whitman, Dickinson, Hawthorne, Poe; but also the Americans in general, and as you said previously let me quote you « The whole American identity is in a way or another related to the concepts initiated by the movement".
I’ve read that several of its main ideas and concerns are engrained in the American cultural and political attitudes till today ( still need to understand it better ). Transcendentalism stresses individualism since it centers on the divinity of each individual “this divinity which is self-discovered only if the individual has the independence of mind to do so”, (or let’s say
free individuals with free thinking). It means that individuals could discover truth by intuition so no need to the established authority or institutions. It means also that people can trust themselves cos the knowledege they come through by their intuition is the ultimate reality. This lead us to another idea that men are valuable, their views should be respected cos they possess what the Transcendentalists call the Oversoul.
What is also important in this movement is that it’s relate to American idealism and exeptionalism, I mention here Emerson’s essay ‘The American scholar’ in which he ‘urges the Americans to stop looking to Europe for inspiration and imitation and be themselves’ . He shows the importance to remain true to one’s identity …. The American was urged to
trust his intuition as Emerson writes ‘trust thyself’ in his essay Self-Reliance. This is what inspired American idealism, and the unique American identity.
Optimism also characterizes transcendentalism, the transcentalists have feelings that all would be well cos the individual has the ability to trenscend limits , to go beyond what society dictates…. That’s what they mean also by ‘ to escape to nature’ cos in nature you escape all the customs imposed by society, and you live a simple life. Unfortunatly I have not gone far from the shore and read Thoreau’s Walden. I really wanted to go
through Emerson’s or Thoreau’s works but as the saying goes ( too much to read
too little time) .
Anyway, all what I’ve said is from the net, and from the site I recommended. This has knocked me out so InshAllah I’ll try to understand more about the movement's influence.Sorry if I make it so long!
Please if there're mistakes correct me!!
Looking forward to read other student's opinions !!!! Don't want it quiet in here mates!!!
...
Ezinma- Number of posts : 491
Registration date : 2009-02-25
Re: No fear Transcendentalism!
by Hush Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:52 pm
I'm so glad to read such an enlightened and enlightening post. There are a lot of key concepts in what you said. For instance the idea of the Over-sole that was initiated by Emerson and which is the belief that God incarnates himself in man and that nature is a manifestation of the spirit. It means that there's a lasting spiritual presence from which everything emanates, it is unity of everything. And from here we can understand the idea of self-reliance, since you are good to yourself, you're good to others because you're all but one. I won't go further waiting for other contributions...
Hush- Number of posts : 529
Age : 39
Location : Dreaming land
Registration date : 2008-09-17
Blida Department of English: Free Stand to Stand Free :: The English Department :: Everything About the Modules :: Third year
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