American Transcendentalist’s Conceptions of Self: Comparison Among Emerson, Thoreau And Whitman
Journal Title: Lire Journal: Journal of Linguistics and Literature - Year 2017, Vol 1, Issue 1
Abstract
American Transcendentalism was a unique movement in the country’s history as it had a vitalizing effect on the development of American identity and fostered the development of American democracy, liberalism, art and literature. Its basic tenet is the belief on the dignity of human as the manifestation of the divine. Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman, the three main exponents, share this basic tenet. They believe that iindividual virtue and happiness depend on self-realization which is achieved through self reliance on one’s intuition and imagination, rather than on social conventions and religious dogma. However, these three figures disagree on what specific course of actions to actualize individual virtue and happiness. Thoreau believes that to achieve the highest virtue, one must detach oneself from one’s dependency on materiality and practice simple, solitary life in nature. Different from Thoreau, Whitman views that flesh was also necessary for self-actualization, and thus must not be neglected. Emerson’s position, on the other hand, is somewhat caught between the two. Different from Thoreau who emphasizes the primacy of one’s duty to oneself to attain highest virtue through solitary life in nature, Emerson concept’s of self realization is balanced by the duty to others through voluntary participation in social reform. Unlike Whitman who celebrates carnality as the source of human virtue, Emerson’s view is more austere.
Authors and Affiliations
Dian Natalia Sutanto
STUDYING ENGLISH LITERATURE IN INDONESIA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
This article examines the challenges and opportunities for students of English Literature in Indonesia amidst forces of globalization and technological advancements in most aspects of life. Demographic transition of user...
An Analysis on Translation Methods’ preference in Memoir Translations Published by Warungsatekamu
This study investigates the general translation methods preference in memoir translations published by Warungsatekamu until April 2018 and what are the features of each translation method. This study uses translation met...
Identify the Message of Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk From Omelas though Its Thematic Structure
The Ones Who Walk from Omelas is a science fiction short story written by Ursula Le Guin. The story is about the socio-cultural condition in a city named Omelas. It describes not only the beauty of the city when they are...
Mr. Keating’s Role as English Teacher as Seen in The Main Character of Dead Poet Society the Movie
Dead Poets Society is a classic movie that explores about English teaching-learning class in Welton Academic. Mr. Keating as the main character is described as unusual English teacher who gives a big influence toward his...
THE RESPONDS OF DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS BY THE CHARACTERS IN JACK THE GIANT SLYER (2013) MOVIE
This research presents the responds of the hearers as the effects of directive speech acts that are given by the characters in Jack the Giant Slyer (2013) movie. The research is aimed to analyze the categories of respond...