Transcendentalism Flashcards
What are Utopias?
“Perfect communities” that sprang up during this time of perfection.
Transcendentalism was derived from _____________.
the German philosopher, Immanel Knat
Transcendentalists believed what?
that man was inherently good
What was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s career?
essayist, poet, orator, and philosopher
According to Emerson, what becomes transparent because he is ONE with nature?
transparent eyeball
What does Self-Reliance say?
Trust thyself and be self-reliant
Thoreau became a ________ and shortly after ____________.
teacher; reaching a disagreement with the school board opened up his own school with his brother.
Where did Henry David Thoreau graduate?
Harvard
Thoreau was jailed due to __________________.
his refusal to pay taxes that funded the Mexican-War.
According to Thoreau, he went to live in the ____ to live ______.
woods; deliberately
2 Anti-Transcendentalist writers
Hawthorne and Melville
Hawthorne and Melville can be viewed as ______.
the two most notorious anti-transcendentalists
Hawthorne and Melville believed that the transcendentalists had a much too ________.
rosy outlook on life
3 defining principles of Anti-Transcendentalist
- Nature is indifferent, unforgiving, and often unexplainable.
- People possess the potential for both good and evil.
- The truth of existence is elusive.
Where was Hawthorne born?
Salem, Massachuseets
Hawthorne uses his ___________________ to what?
stories and novels; express his feelings about Puritan hypocrisy.
What did Hawthorne write?
Minister’s Black Veil
What is the veil symbolic for?
hidden sins
What did Melville write?
Billy Bud
How did Melville die?
poor
What are the levels of Moby Dick?
surface, vengeance, man’s relationship with nature, and physiological effect
What is the surface?
plot about the whaling ship
What is the vengeance?
psychological effects of seeking revenge
3 plot based
- narrator-?
- captain-?
- hunting-?
Ishmael
Ahab
The Great White Whale
