The Great American Shakeup of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essay Example

Cultural identities. The revival of the Wampanoag Indian language was not only a linguistic achievement, but also helped people form a community and reconnect with their traditions, culture and customs. The language learning process helps people understand the way their ancestors thought about the world; their beliefs and values. The meaning of the linguistic tradition gives the members of the tribes a strong cultural identity, confidence and pride. They can now understand that they are allowed to be different and do not necessarily need to assimilate in order to create an identity and be accepted.

Meaning of home. In the poem, Bradstreet describes her home not only as a house; she states: “Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store”. She believes in God and calls him the “almighty Architect, which is an allegory. Her life is created by God, just like the house. Her perception of the home is not related to material things. She lists the memories that were created among the walls: talks, marriages, eating together. She was a mother and wife in the house, and all the memories connected to the house seem to be lost. She states that God’s love is all she needs; nothing else is needed; material things do not matter.

Mary Rowlandson. Mary Rowlandson becomes a stronger person throughout the journey of capture. She compares her circumstances to her past, and comes to the conclusion that God’s love is the only thing she needs. Just like Bradstreet, she comes to the conclusion that vanity has no power over God’s love, therefore, she becomes a more spiritual person. She goes through a process of becoming a thinker on her own, instead of simply being the wife of a minister.

Benjamin Franklin.  Even today, Benjamin Franklin is the example of an American entrepreneur. While he worked hard from the bottom up, he appreciated the first dollar earned the most. He understood that only through developing himself can he create a success story on his own. He did educate himself, learn new trades and was careful with money, investments. His personal development is a success story, not as a result of circumstances, but as a result of his personal power, determination and strong will. He was able to make connections and make the most out of them. Even though the early life in America was based on poverty, negligence and intrigue, and Benjamin Franklin had to face poverty himself several times, he took the chance and fought for what he believed in. His character is based on determination and self-development, and he is often quoted by self-help book authors, as well as bloggers, as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all times.

Puritan Mind. Hawthorne and Poe. Hawthorne examines the darkness of the human heart in his literacy works, while Poe considers darkness as a part of being human. Both poets use allegory of nature to describe human emotions and feelings. For Hawthorne, sin is a secret and is often depicted by a haunted house, while Poe uses more common symbols of darkness; such as ravens and black cats. The darkness as a devil is depicted in Poe’s poem: “The Raven” as follows: “”Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!- prophet still, if bird or devil”. Both the poets, however, make use of the Gothic symbolism of devil, supernatural and sin. However, in Hawthorne’s poetry, the ambiguity of conclusion is common, while a single moral is created by Poe.

The representation of puritan thought is present in the works of both poets: the never ending war between good and evil. Supernatural concluded as evil creates a link between puritan imagination that was the ground for the Salem Witch Trials as well.

Resistance to Civil Government. The author states that civil disobedience is the only way for a person to maintain their individual rights and uniqueness. As he states, the government “has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will”. However, in a world that has no rules, chaos would persist, and cause mass epidemics, lawlessness and increase of crime. While the rules of nature should be respected, there are some universal moral principles that need to be applied in legislation.

It is important to review the historical context, in which Thoreau wrote the work: “Resistance to Civil Government”. The main issues that the author reflects to are the slavery within America and the war between Mexico and America. Indeed, the book has inspired the Civil Rights movement, Mahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy. He calls for a democratic government that aims to serve all citizens. This way, his idea is a Utopia.

Transcendentalism is the main theme of the writing:  Thoreau states that the government cannot teach anybody how to behave, get on with life or how to act based on moral principles. People can only find the truth in their self, therefore, the role of the government to make a legal and moral stand is not valid.

While the author’s ideas based on individualism are valid and his claims that one can only experience knowledge drawing on their own experiences, agreement on ethical and moral principles needs to be obtained by the government to create a law that maintains social and political order.

Harriett Jacobs. The passage chosen is:

“When Dr. Flint learned that I was again to be a mother, he was exasperated beyond measure. He rushed from the house, and returned with a pair of shears. I had a fine head of hair; and he often railed about my pride of arranging it nicely. He cut every hair close to my head, storming and swearing all the time. I replied in some of his abuse, and he struck me. Some months before, he had pitched me down a flight of stairs in a fit of passion; and the injury I received was so serious that I was unable to turn myself in bed for many days. He then said, ‘Linda, I swear by God I will never raise my hand against you again’ but I knew that he would forget his promise” (p. 77)

The author does not only depict the cruelty of the society, her own helplessness, but also what it was like to become pregnant. She was not allowed to have control over her own body; she was a slave in every level.

Jacobs writes the story of her life to those who never experienced the same treatment. She does anticipate sympathy and tries to educate the audience through her experiences. The naturalistic and realistic account of her life makes the book relevant and authentic. As a mother, she creates a bond that she is not allowed to claim. She is deprived of the rights to care for her child;  still, she claims that motherly sentiment has no color. Both Robinson Crusoe and the slave girl are claiming their personal independence and are persistent in their efforts.

Song of Myself. Whitman uses a combination of realistic and transcendental elements. He compares personal perception of the world with what they really are. He states:

“The atmosphere is not a perfume, it has no taste of the distillation”.

While it is not a perfume, he imagines scenes based on smells, loves nature and the individual perception, human imagination, while rejecting numbers, rational arguments. He states:

“I believe in you my soul, the other I am must not abase itself to you,

And you must not be abased to the other.”.

He makes a judgment: he prefers imagination and individual perception over rational ways of viewing the world.

Transcendentalism. The selected passage of “Nature” is:

“There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.”

The idea of being a particle of God is based on transcendentalism: the author thinks that all things; people, plants and animals are a part of the creation; they all have the “divine” element in them. In this way, he is ahead of his time; scientists are currently looking for the “God Particle” that is the key to life. Being nothing and a part of the universe is a unique approach towards individualism; Emerson turns to nature to find answers to human and universal questions.