Langston Hughes wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” while on a train bound for Mexico. He had just graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 18 years. When his train crossed the Mississippi River he was inspired by its beauty and majesty. He was also reminded of its role in sustaining slavery in 1 America. He wrote it immediately. It was in 1920.

“The Negro Speaks of America” is one of the most famous poems by Langston Hughes. It was published in Crisis, a magazine of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) in 1921, a year after its composition. It is a very important poem since it celebrates the voice and soul of the black community in a time when racial intolerance, injustice, and inequality in America were prominent aspects of social and political life. Through this poem, Hughes helped to inspire and unite the black community when their voice was not appreciated by a predominantly white society. Hughes became the official poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance which was a movement of black people in America for realising their political and social equality with white people. 

The poem connects the soul and heritage of the African-American community to the four biggest rivers in the world—the Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi—proving the ancientness of the Negro race, and thereby claiming equal rights and privileges with all other races in America. 

The speaker of the poem claims that he has known rivers that are as ancient as the world—the Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi. They are older than the human beings on the earth.

His soul has grown deep like the rivers. He bathed in the Euphrates at the beginning of the creation. The Congo lulled him to sleep on its bank. He witnessed the raising of the pyramids on the land. of the Nile, and he heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down it on his way to New Orleans. He found the bosom of Mississippi turning golden. He has known all these rivers, and his soul has grown deep like the rivers. ‘ The speaker of the poem is not the poet himself, nor anybody as a single man. The speaker is representative of all the Negroes of all places and all times. The race of the Negroes has been as old as any other race of human beings on the face of the earth, and as such, they deserve to be treated as equal to all other humans. 

The theme of the poem is the proving of the ancientness of the Negroes, and an indirect claim for their equality with the other human races. The poet has known rivers that are as ancient as the worldThe Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi. They are older than the human beings on the earth. His soul has grown deep like the rivers. He bathed in the Euphrates at the beginning of the creation of human beings. The Congo lulled him to sleep on its bank. He witnessed the pyramids on the land of the Nile and heard the singing of the Mississippi: when Abe Lincoln went down it on his way to New Orleans. He found the bosom of the Mississippi turning ‘golden when Lincoln had the first inspiration for the abolition of slavery. The “I” in the poem is the “Negro” who speaks. He is not a single person. He is representative of all the Negroes of all places and all times. The race of the negroes is as old as any other human race on the earth, and as such, they deserve to be treated as equal to all other races. 

It is a very important poem since it celebrates the voice and soul of the black American Community in a time when racial intolerance, injustice, and inequality in America were the prominent aspects of social and political life there. Through this poem, Hughes helped to inspire and unite the black community when their voice was not appreciated or accepted by a predominantly white community. The poem. connects the soul and heritage of the African-American community to the four ancient rivers in the world and thereby proves the ancientness of the Negro race, so that the Negroes may justifiably claim equal rights and privileges with the whites. O. Jemie makes an appreciative comment on the poem. He says, “It is a sonorous evocation of transcendent essences so ancient as to appear timeless, predating human existence, longer than human memory.” Several figures of speech, like similes, metaphors, symbols, and other rhetorical devices have been effectively used. “My soul has grown deep like the rivers”. The soul of the Negro here symbolizes the collective soul of all Negroes of all times and all places. As a fiver grows deeper and deeper with the passage of time, this soul has grown deeper and deeper with the passage of time. The soul’s. bathing in the Euphrates, being lulled to sleep on the bank of the Congo, and it's looking upon the Nile and hearing the singing of the. Mississipi is an extended metaphor. The soul has been conceived of as a human being that does all those things. The expressions “I’ve known” and “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” are examples of anaphora. These rhetorical figures help emphasize the poet’s points and unite different parts of the poetic conception of the theme. Sound devices like assonance and consonance are effectively used. The free verse used in the poem is reminiscent of Whitman and Carl Sandburg. It promotes freedom of expression of the subtle nuances involved in the theme. The rhetorical and prosodic devices used in the poem have made the communication of the poet’s ideas compact, but effective on a wide scale

Write a Critical appreciation of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

Langston Hughes wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” while on a train bound for Mexico. He had just graduated from high school in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 18 years. When his train crossed the Mississippi River he was inspired by its beauty and majesty. He was also reminded of its role in sustaining slavery in 1 America. He wrote it immediately. It was in 1920.

“The Negro Speaks of America” is one of the most famous poems by Langston Hughes. It was published in Crisis, a magazine of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) in 1921, a year after its composition. It is a very important poem since it celebrates the voice and soul of the black community in a time when racial intolerance, injustice, and inequality in America were prominent aspects of social and political life. Through this poem, Hughes helped to inspire and unite the black community when their voice was not appreciated by a predominantly white society. Hughes became the official poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance which was a movement of black people in America for realising their political and social equality with white people. 

The poem connects the soul and heritage of the African-American community to the four biggest rivers in the world—the Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi—proving the ancientness of the Negro race, and thereby claiming equal rights and privileges with all other races in America. 

The speaker of the poem claims that he has known rivers that are as ancient as the world—the Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi. They are older than the human beings on the earth.

His soul has grown deep like the rivers. He bathed in the Euphrates at the beginning of the creation. The Congo lulled him to sleep on its bank. He witnessed the raising of the pyramids on the land. of the Nile, and he heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down it on his way to New Orleans. He found the bosom of Mississippi turning golden. He has known all these rivers, and his soul has grown deep like the rivers. ‘ The speaker of the poem is not the poet himself, nor anybody as a single man. The speaker is representative of all the Negroes of all places and all times. The race of the Negroes has been as old as any other race of human beings on the face of the earth, and as such, they deserve to be treated as equal to all other humans. 

The theme of the poem is the proving of the ancientness of the Negroes, and an indirect claim for their equality with the other human races. The poet has known rivers that are as ancient as the worldThe Euphrates, the Congo, the Nile, and the Mississippi. They are older than the human beings on the earth. His soul has grown deep like the rivers. He bathed in the Euphrates at the beginning of the creation of human beings. The Congo lulled him to sleep on its bank. He witnessed the pyramids on the land of the Nile and heard the singing of the Mississippi: when Abe Lincoln went down it on his way to New Orleans. He found the bosom of the Mississippi turning ‘golden when Lincoln had the first inspiration for the abolition of slavery. The “I” in the poem is the “Negro” who speaks. He is not a single person. He is representative of all the Negroes of all places and all times. The race of the negroes is as old as any other human race on the earth, and as such, they deserve to be treated as equal to all other races. 

It is a very important poem since it celebrates the voice and soul of the black American Community in a time when racial intolerance, injustice, and inequality in America were the prominent aspects of social and political life there. Through this poem, Hughes helped to inspire and unite the black community when their voice was not appreciated or accepted by a predominantly white community. The poem. connects the soul and heritage of the African-American community to the four ancient rivers in the world and thereby proves the ancientness of the Negro race, so that the Negroes may justifiably claim equal rights and privileges with the whites. O. Jemie makes an appreciative comment on the poem. He says, “It is a sonorous evocation of transcendent essences so ancient as to appear timeless, predating human existence, longer than human memory.” Several figures of speech, like similes, metaphors, symbols, and other rhetorical devices have been effectively used. “My soul has grown deep like the rivers”. The soul of the Negro here symbolizes the collective soul of all Negroes of all times and all places. As a fiver grows deeper and deeper with the passage of time, this soul has grown deeper and deeper with the passage of time. The soul’s. bathing in the Euphrates, being lulled to sleep on the bank of the Congo, and it's looking upon the Nile and hearing the singing of the. Mississipi is an extended metaphor. The soul has been conceived of as a human being that does all those things. The expressions “I’ve known” and “My soul has grown deep like the rivers” are examples of anaphora. These rhetorical figures help emphasize the poet’s points and unite different parts of the poetic conception of the theme. Sound devices like assonance and consonance are effectively used. The free verse used in the poem is reminiscent of Whitman and Carl Sandburg. It promotes freedom of expression of the subtle nuances involved in the theme. The rhetorical and prosodic devices used in the poem have made the communication of the poet’s ideas compact, but effective on a wide scale

Langston Hughes , The Negro Speaks of Rivers

GTM and SLT share some similarities and differences. GTM emerged earlier than SLT. Educators and researchers were disappointed with GTM in language teaching, which led them to come up with some major innovations in language teaching SLT was one of the methods that emerged out of the innovation around the 1990s. 

The goal of language teaching is very different in GTM and SLT. While GTM aims at developing knowledge in the target language so that learners can read the classical texts in the language, SLT clearly aims at developing oral proficiency in the language. Because of this difference in the objectives, GTM and SLT differ in their principles, techniques, and teachers' and students’ roles in the Classroom. 

GTM does not follow any language learning theories. This was the earliest teaching method. Therefore, the principles of GTM are that learners will develop their knowledge through reading and translation of literary texts in the target language. However, SLT is based on a specific learning theory, which is called behaviorism. Learning is considered a process of habit formation. So, the principles of SLT are based on this theory. It emphasizes forming learners’ habits through practicing the target language, and developing oral proficiency while avoiding mistakes. 

Following the above objectives and principles, GTM and SLT adopt some specific classroom techniques. GTM stresses literacy, so learners are expected to translate literary passages from and into the target language, memorize vocabulary and sentence structures and produce error-free sentences. SLT, on the other hand, makes learners practice language structures and vocabulary through drills. Learners are given sentences in situations, such as pictures to practice the target language orally. Here, GTM and SLT seem to be similar as they both emphasize accuracy in producing language structures. Memorization is a common technique in both methods so that learners can avoid mistakes. Yet, the major differences in the activities are that GTM focuses on literacy and uses the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, but SLT focuses on oral fluency and uses the target language as the medium of instruction. 

The role of the teacher in GTM and SLT is similar in the sense that both give authority to the teacher in designing and implementing the lessons in the classroom. The teacher is considered to be the model, and students are supposed to follow them. However, SLT expects more from the teacher than GTM. For example, in SLT teachers have to present structures to the students while setting up Situations and model the structures in front of them. GTM expects teachers only to present specific texts so that learners can translate and memorize them. Learners are more passive in GTM than in SLT because they only memorize and translate in GTM, while they actively take part in drills in SLT. 

Therefore, GTM and SLT are different methods of language teaching. In spite of some similarities, they are very different in terms of their objectives, techniques, and learning outcomes in the classroom. This is why the methods have to be applied based on Situations and learners’ needs in the classroom.

Compare and contrast the GTM and Situational Language Teaching

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

GTM and SLT share some similarities and differences. GTM emerged earlier than SLT. Educators and researchers were disappointed with GTM in language teaching, which led them to come up with some major innovations in language teaching SLT was one of the methods that emerged out of the innovation around the 1990s. 

The goal of language teaching is very different in GTM and SLT. While GTM aims at developing knowledge in the target language so that learners can read the classical texts in the language, SLT clearly aims at developing oral proficiency in the language. Because of this difference in the objectives, GTM and SLT differ in their principles, techniques, and teachers' and students’ roles in the Classroom. 

GTM does not follow any language learning theories. This was the earliest teaching method. Therefore, the principles of GTM are that learners will develop their knowledge through reading and translation of literary texts in the target language. However, SLT is based on a specific learning theory, which is called behaviorism. Learning is considered a process of habit formation. So, the principles of SLT are based on this theory. It emphasizes forming learners’ habits through practicing the target language, and developing oral proficiency while avoiding mistakes. 

Following the above objectives and principles, GTM and SLT adopt some specific classroom techniques. GTM stresses literacy, so learners are expected to translate literary passages from and into the target language, memorize vocabulary and sentence structures and produce error-free sentences. SLT, on the other hand, makes learners practice language structures and vocabulary through drills. Learners are given sentences in situations, such as pictures to practice the target language orally. Here, GTM and SLT seem to be similar as they both emphasize accuracy in producing language structures. Memorization is a common technique in both methods so that learners can avoid mistakes. Yet, the major differences in the activities are that GTM focuses on literacy and uses the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, but SLT focuses on oral fluency and uses the target language as the medium of instruction. 

The role of the teacher in GTM and SLT is similar in the sense that both give authority to the teacher in designing and implementing the lessons in the classroom. The teacher is considered to be the model, and students are supposed to follow them. However, SLT expects more from the teacher than GTM. For example, in SLT teachers have to present structures to the students while setting up Situations and model the structures in front of them. GTM expects teachers only to present specific texts so that learners can translate and memorize them. Learners are more passive in GTM than in SLT because they only memorize and translate in GTM, while they actively take part in drills in SLT. 

Therefore, GTM and SLT are different methods of language teaching. In spite of some similarities, they are very different in terms of their objectives, techniques, and learning outcomes in the classroom. This is why the methods have to be applied based on Situations and learners’ needs in the classroom.

Situational Language Teaching

Mildred Douglas is the pale and feeble daughter of the owner of Nazareth Steel. She is the representative of the higher class people and the cause of Yank’s mental torment. She has been lavishly spoiled and enjoyed every possible privilege money can buy. In college, Mildred studied sociology and is on a crusade to help the poor. Mildred has previously worked with disadvantaged people in New York’s Lower East Side. Mildred’s Aunt is accompanying her to Europe where she will embark on more service projects. While on the Ocean Liner Mildred asks permission to visit the lower portions ship to view how the “other half” (Yank and the firemen) live. As if on a trip to the zoo, she wears a bright white dress down into the stokehole, ignoring the Engineer’s warning that it will get dirty from the coal dust. 

Although Mildred should be considered the antagonist of The Hairy Ape, she is equally victimized by class as Yank. Though Mildred has more education and cultural experience than Yank, she still cannot escape her cultural identity. Mildred describes herself as the waste of her father’s steel company, as she has felt the benefits, but not the hard work that brought them. She shares with Yank the need to find a sense of usefulness or belonging—the fate of both characters was decided before they were born. Thus, Yank and Mildred desperately search to find an identity that is their own. 

The failure of both these characters lies in their conscious and unconscious refusal to shed their values and knowledge while searching for a new identity. For example, Mildred will not change out of her white dress and Yank’s coal dust is saturated into his skin. In scene II we are introduced to Mildred Douglas and her aunt. Like the other stokers, they too have not been individualized. They are simply the representatives of artificial, exhausted, and enervated -capitalists. They are the svr2bo!s of artificiality, ease, and luxury. Mildred has been introduced sot for herself, but to give a shock to Yank which will shake his identity. This shock shatters his sense of complacency. The confrontation between Mildred and Yank represents the - climax or crisis of the play. Once Yank’s idea of belonging is shattered, Mildred has vanished from the play as her function is over. But the confrontation with her has caused a serious traumatic injury to Yank. He feels hurt in the very heart of his pride. 

Mildred and Yank are representatives of the highest and lowest societal classes—as Long would term it, the bourgeois and the proletariat. However, while Mildred and Yank’s lifestyles are extremely different, they share similar complaints about class. Mildred describes herself as the “waste product” of her father’s steel company. She has reaped the financial benefits of the company but has felt none of the vigor or passion that created it. Mildred yearns to find passion—to touch “life” beyond her cushioned, bourgeois world. Yank, on the other hand, has felt too much of the “life” Mildred describes. Yank desires to topple the class structure by reinscribing the importance and necessity of the working class. Yank defines importance as “who belongs"

Analyze the character of Mildred Douglas

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

Mildred Douglas is the pale and feeble daughter of the owner of Nazareth Steel. She is the representative of the higher class people and the cause of Yank’s mental torment. She has been lavishly spoiled and enjoyed every possible privilege money can buy. In college, Mildred studied sociology and is on a crusade to help the poor. Mildred has previously worked with disadvantaged people in New York’s Lower East Side. Mildred’s Aunt is accompanying her to Europe where she will embark on more service projects. While on the Ocean Liner Mildred asks permission to visit the lower portions ship to view how the “other half” (Yank and the firemen) live. As if on a trip to the zoo, she wears a bright white dress down into the stokehole, ignoring the Engineer’s warning that it will get dirty from the coal dust. 

Although Mildred should be considered the antagonist of The Hairy Ape, she is equally victimized by class as Yank. Though Mildred has more education and cultural experience than Yank, she still cannot escape her cultural identity. Mildred describes herself as the waste of her father’s steel company, as she has felt the benefits, but not the hard work that brought them. She shares with Yank the need to find a sense of usefulness or belonging—the fate of both characters was decided before they were born. Thus, Yank and Mildred desperately search to find an identity that is their own. 

The failure of both these characters lies in their conscious and unconscious refusal to shed their values and knowledge while searching for a new identity. For example, Mildred will not change out of her white dress and Yank’s coal dust is saturated into his skin. In scene II we are introduced to Mildred Douglas and her aunt. Like the other stokers, they too have not been individualized. They are simply the representatives of artificial, exhausted, and enervated -capitalists. They are the svr2bo!s of artificiality, ease, and luxury. Mildred has been introduced sot for herself, but to give a shock to Yank which will shake his identity. This shock shatters his sense of complacency. The confrontation between Mildred and Yank represents the - climax or crisis of the play. Once Yank’s idea of belonging is shattered, Mildred has vanished from the play as her function is over. But the confrontation with her has caused a serious traumatic injury to Yank. He feels hurt in the very heart of his pride. 

Mildred and Yank are representatives of the highest and lowest societal classes—as Long would term it, the bourgeois and the proletariat. However, while Mildred and Yank’s lifestyles are extremely different, they share similar complaints about class. Mildred describes herself as the “waste product” of her father’s steel company. She has reaped the financial benefits of the company but has felt none of the vigor or passion that created it. Mildred yearns to find passion—to touch “life” beyond her cushioned, bourgeois world. Yank, on the other hand, has felt too much of the “life” Mildred describes. Yank desires to topple the class structure by reinscribing the importance and necessity of the working class. Yank defines importance as “who belongs"

American literature , Eugene O'Neill , The Hairy Ape

An allegory is an extended narrative in prose or verse in which the author describes one subject under the guise of another. The objects, events, or people are presented symbolically, so the story conveys a meaning other than and deeper than the actual incidents or characters described. There are two main types of allegory: 1) Historical or political allegory in which the characters and the action represent or allegorize historical personages and events, 2) Allegory of ideas, in which the characters represent abstract concepts and the plot serves to communicate a doctrine or thesis. 

Young Goodman Brown belongs to the latter type. The story is deeply concerned with evil, the terrifying manner in which evil takes hold of man. The protagonist of the story is Goodman Brown, an allegorical name that stands for “every man” of the allegorical drama - of that name. His wife is named, allegorically, Faith. She stands for true Christian faith and virtue. Goodman Brown’s journey into the forest is suggestive of man’s surrender to temptation leading to the voluntary desertion of faith, home, and security. 

One evening Goodman Brown takes leave of his wife, Faith, because he is setting out on an errand of evil through a very dense forest for one night. This taking leave of Faith allegorizes man’s willing desertion of faith, which he thinks temporary, for after that night he will cling to her skirts, and follow her to heaven. In the forest, he meets a man of about fifty years who resembles Goodman Brown so much that he has been called the elder Goodman Brown. This resemblance indicates Goodman Brown’s inheritance of evil. The story allegorizes the fact that man is inherently disposed to evil, and once in its grip, cannot wriggle out. Though Young Brown had conflicts in his mind several times about the justifiability of the course he was taking, he was ultimately overcome by his inherent tendency to evil. He was going on an evil mission without any reason and took leave of his newly married wife, all of a sudden, on an evening. The elderly man who looked much like himself and with whom he came across in the forest revealed to him that his father and grandfather had also been his disciples in the matter of doing evil things. Young Brown also found Goody Cloyse as a member of the evil communion. He found the minister and deacon Gookin riding to the congregation of evil people. 

Last of all, what gave a staggering blow to his remaining goodness was the conversion of his wife, Faith, to evil. All these instances of evil people around him created in him a belief that was confirmed by the dark figure of the fiend who asserted that evil was the only happiness of man. Here, through the character of Young Brown, Hawthorne depicts the human tendency to evil.

Young Goodman Brown as an allegorical story

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

An allegory is an extended narrative in prose or verse in which the author describes one subject under the guise of another. The objects, events, or people are presented symbolically, so the story conveys a meaning other than and deeper than the actual incidents or characters described. There are two main types of allegory: 1) Historical or political allegory in which the characters and the action represent or allegorize historical personages and events, 2) Allegory of ideas, in which the characters represent abstract concepts and the plot serves to communicate a doctrine or thesis. 

Young Goodman Brown belongs to the latter type. The story is deeply concerned with evil, the terrifying manner in which evil takes hold of man. The protagonist of the story is Goodman Brown, an allegorical name that stands for “every man” of the allegorical drama - of that name. His wife is named, allegorically, Faith. She stands for true Christian faith and virtue. Goodman Brown’s journey into the forest is suggestive of man’s surrender to temptation leading to the voluntary desertion of faith, home, and security. 

One evening Goodman Brown takes leave of his wife, Faith, because he is setting out on an errand of evil through a very dense forest for one night. This taking leave of Faith allegorizes man’s willing desertion of faith, which he thinks temporary, for after that night he will cling to her skirts, and follow her to heaven. In the forest, he meets a man of about fifty years who resembles Goodman Brown so much that he has been called the elder Goodman Brown. This resemblance indicates Goodman Brown’s inheritance of evil. The story allegorizes the fact that man is inherently disposed to evil, and once in its grip, cannot wriggle out. Though Young Brown had conflicts in his mind several times about the justifiability of the course he was taking, he was ultimately overcome by his inherent tendency to evil. He was going on an evil mission without any reason and took leave of his newly married wife, all of a sudden, on an evening. The elderly man who looked much like himself and with whom he came across in the forest revealed to him that his father and grandfather had also been his disciples in the matter of doing evil things. Young Brown also found Goody Cloyse as a member of the evil communion. He found the minister and deacon Gookin riding to the congregation of evil people. 

Last of all, what gave a staggering blow to his remaining goodness was the conversion of his wife, Faith, to evil. All these instances of evil people around him created in him a belief that was confirmed by the dark figure of the fiend who asserted that evil was the only happiness of man. Here, through the character of Young Brown, Hawthorne depicts the human tendency to evil.

American literature , Young Goodman Brown

Puritanism is a religious movement that began in England and spread to America where it greatly influenced social, political, and religious institutions. Puritan beliefs developed from the teachings of religious reformers, such as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. Wycliffe was a famous professor of philosophy at Oxford University during the 1300s. Calvin was a leader of the Reformation, the religious movement of the 1500s that gave rise to Protestantism. The Puritans considered the Bible as the true law of God that provided guidelines for church government. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals. They called for a less priestly church that emphasized preaching. Puritans believed that all Christian churches should be organized through councils called presbyteries or church courts rather than under bishops, as in the Church of England. Some Puritans believed that each congregation was a complete church in itself and should have total control of its own affairs. The Puritans emphasized Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments. They also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue.

What is Puritanism known for?

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

Puritanism is a religious movement that began in England and spread to America where it greatly influenced social, political, and religious institutions. Puritan beliefs developed from the teachings of religious reformers, such as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. Wycliffe was a famous professor of philosophy at Oxford University during the 1300s. Calvin was a leader of the Reformation, the religious movement of the 1500s that gave rise to Protestantism. The Puritans considered the Bible as the true law of God that provided guidelines for church government. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals. They called for a less priestly church that emphasized preaching. Puritans believed that all Christian churches should be organized through councils called presbyteries or church courts rather than under bishops, as in the Church of England. Some Puritans believed that each congregation was a complete church in itself and should have total control of its own affairs. The Puritans emphasized Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments. They also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue.

Important Short Notes , Others

Transcendentalism was based on the belief that knowledge is not limited to and solely derived from experience and observation. It thus opposed the philosophy of empiricism—that knowledge comes from experience. The transcendentalists defined reason as the independent and intuitive capacity to know what is absolutely true. In the New England states of the United States, the leading American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson taught that the physical world is secondary to the spiritual world. But, said Emerson, the physical world serves humanity by providing useful goods and by making human beings aware of beauty. Emerson believed that people should learn as much as possible through observation and science. But he insisted that they should adjust their lives primarily to the truths seen through reason. Emerson and his followers believed that human beings find the truth within themselves, and so they emphasized self-reliance and individuality. They believed that society is a necessary evil. They argued that to learn what is right, a person must ignore custom and social codes and rely on reason. The transcendentalists believed that the doctrines and organized churches of orthodox Christianity interfered with the personal relationship between a person and God. The transcendentalists said that individuals should reject the authority of Christianity and gain knowledge of God through reason.

What is the theory of transcendentalism?

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

Transcendentalism was based on the belief that knowledge is not limited to and solely derived from experience and observation. It thus opposed the philosophy of empiricism—that knowledge comes from experience. The transcendentalists defined reason as the independent and intuitive capacity to know what is absolutely true. In the New England states of the United States, the leading American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson taught that the physical world is secondary to the spiritual world. But, said Emerson, the physical world serves humanity by providing useful goods and by making human beings aware of beauty. Emerson believed that people should learn as much as possible through observation and science. But he insisted that they should adjust their lives primarily to the truths seen through reason. Emerson and his followers believed that human beings find the truth within themselves, and so they emphasized self-reliance and individuality. They believed that society is a necessary evil. They argued that to learn what is right, a person must ignore custom and social codes and rely on reason. The transcendentalists believed that the doctrines and organized churches of orthodox Christianity interfered with the personal relationship between a person and God. The transcendentalists said that individuals should reject the authority of Christianity and gain knowledge of God through reason.

Important Short Notes , Others

Both transcendentalism and romanticism share the belief that knowledge is not limited to and is solely derived from experience and observation. Romanticism favored imagination and emotion over reason and logic while the transcendentalists defined reason as the independent and intuitive capacity to know what is absolutely true. In the New England states of the United States, the leading American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that people should learn as much as possible through observation and science. But he insisted that they should adjust their lives primarily to the truths seen through reason. The Romantics, on the other hand, promoted the individual and the subjective approach as opposed to a rational endorsement of the universal and the objective. 

Emerson and his followers believed that human beings find the truth within themselves, and so they emphasized self-reliance and individuality like the romantics, They believed that society is a necessary evil. They argued that to learn what is right, a person must ignore custom and social codes and rely on reason. But the Romantics turned to nature for consolation. The transcendentalists believed that the doctrines and organized churches of orthodox Christianity interfered with the personal relationship between a person and God. Thinkers of both schools rejected the oppressive authority of Christianity but the transcendentalists gain knowledge of God through reason.

What are the differences Transcendentalism and Romanticism ?

Green Land | March 22, 2023 | 0 comments

Both transcendentalism and romanticism share the belief that knowledge is not limited to and is solely derived from experience and observation. Romanticism favored imagination and emotion over reason and logic while the transcendentalists defined reason as the independent and intuitive capacity to know what is absolutely true. In the New England states of the United States, the leading American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that people should learn as much as possible through observation and science. But he insisted that they should adjust their lives primarily to the truths seen through reason. The Romantics, on the other hand, promoted the individual and the subjective approach as opposed to a rational endorsement of the universal and the objective. 

Emerson and his followers believed that human beings find the truth within themselves, and so they emphasized self-reliance and individuality like the romantics, They believed that society is a necessary evil. They argued that to learn what is right, a person must ignore custom and social codes and rely on reason. But the Romantics turned to nature for consolation. The transcendentalists believed that the doctrines and organized churches of orthodox Christianity interfered with the personal relationship between a person and God. Thinkers of both schools rejected the oppressive authority of Christianity but the transcendentalists gain knowledge of God through reason.

Others