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Ralph Waldo Emerson's Beliefs Of Transcendentalism

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Transcendentalism is the belief that man is inherently good, is an independent thinker, and goes out into nature to get in touch with himself. Generally, man has good intentions and intends no harm unto others. In addition, man does not need society to give him and develop his thoughts, as he already has them within. To help bring out these already installed beliefs, man has the desire to go out into nature to get in touch with himself and find deeper notions within. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings “Self Reliance” and “American Scholar”, he writes about how being a true individual means that one must have his own beliefs, and not copy someone else’s ideas. In addition, he believes that society is the antagonist, actively working against individuals. …show more content…

The song “Island In the Sun” by Weezer talks about the importance of escaping society to get back in touch with yourself, connecting with nature, and finding your happiness. While living in the woods at Walden Pond, Thoreau justifies his decision to live there by saying: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (17). This quote perfectly sums up the message of the song, and connects the two main themes of spending time in nature and escaping society to bring out independent

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