... (Baym 211). According to Dr. Watson in her lecture titled "Emerson and Transcendentalism," Transcendentalism was a religious, philosophical, and literary movement which rejected Enlightenment empiricism and the thoughts of John Locke (Watson 17 Feb 2015). Transcendentalists celebrated the self, individualism, consciousness, and Neoplatonism, which stems from a Puritan tradition (Ruland 118). First published in 1841 in Essays, Emerson's "Self-Reliance ... readers the importance of following the narrow road that leads to integrity rather than the wide path that leads to destruction becaus...

• Word Count: 1963
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Thoreau, Boris Pasternak, and the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo. Growing up, he waited until the time was right to begin his journey across the country and into the wilderness. John Krakauer wrote: Five weeks earlier he"d loaded his belongings into his car and headed west without an itinerary. The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of ... write. (34-35) I think what amazes me the most about both of these individuals was the time period over which they continued to strive for their goals. They both forged ahead over the course of months and years gaining whatever advanta...

• Word Count: 1194
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... man is the man who can rise above societal pressures, establish an identity of his own where the man lives for himself, and relies only upon a man's self in forging ahead. In addition, this ultimate man, in practicing this selfish identity, takes no account of the advice or aid offered by friends, family or co-workers, nor does he feel the ... "(12). Here, I believe, is potentially the most damaging aspect of the Transcendentalist philosophy of individualism. Where would our country be without the selfless, philanthropic endeavors of such great men as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie...

• Word Count: 1633
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate