Olivella, Holmes 1

Talize Olivella, Walker Holmes

Cooper, Whipple
AP Lang (TO- 7th , WH- 1st) , History 3rd
11/28/16

The Transcendental Effect

Since the start of the world humans have found inspiration through the life around them

and the beliefs they hold. When romanticism was brought up it was in reaction against

convention and classical formalism and it highlighted inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy

of the individual. From Romanticism sprung transcendentalism, a life of its own, eventually

becoming a large inspiration in the lives of many.

Transcendentalism brought about a time of great reform with authors such as Ralph

Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, whose writings inspired many across America to

better themselves. Both Emerson and Thoreau wrote with the transcendental motif that man is

inherently good, and has the potential to put forth greatness into the world. We are able to see

this motif in both Emerson's Prospects, which was published as part of his novella titled

Nature: Addresses and Lectures, and in Thoreaus essay Civil Disobedience. In Emersons

work Prospects he shows this motif by saying [In our worlds] thick darkness, there are not

wanting gleams of a better light, occasional examples of the action of man upon nature with

his entire force, with reason as well as understanding (Emerson, 9). He continues by stating

examples of this better light that have occurred throughout mans history, and then following

this by saying that these examples are, ...momentary grasps on the spectre; the exertions of a

power which exists not in time or space, but an instantaneous in-streaming causing

power...(Emerson, 9). Emerson is explaining how man always possesses this potential for
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greatness within himself, how within each man there is the ability to spread good throughout the

world. By describing our society as a thick darkness and mans goodness as this almost

momentary gleams of a better light, Emerson reflects back to the transcendental motif of the

inherent goodness of man, while adding that this goodness is only present in small fractions,

when man acts upon nature with his entire force. It is only when this happens that reason and

understanding are brought into our world, when man fully taps into his inner good, society

changes and benefits. His examples, ...the traditions of miracles in the earliest antiquity of all

nations; the history of Jesus Christ; the achievements of a principle, as in religious and political

revolutions, and in the abolition of the Slave-trade(Emerson, 9), show how in little

increments throughout our whole world's history, mankind is able to tap into its potential for

greatness and good and bring forth movements and ideals that shape our society for the better,

pushing humankind forward. Emerson explains this by relating these occurrences in mans

history to moments when [Reason] had a momentary grasp of the spectre, relaying that mans

goodness is seen as brief moments of reason and understanding in our dark society. Similarly

Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience, which highlights the evils of government, also

extends to the individual's potential for greatness and their inherent good, even if it is blocked by

ideals set by our society or ignorance. Thoreau states that If I could convince myself that I have

any right to be satisfied with men as they are, and to treat them accordingly, and not according,

in some respects, to my requisitions and expectations of what they and I ought to be(Thoreau,

33). Here Thoreau explains that while man is inherently good within himself, but he does not

always reach this potential or good and greatness. Thoreau looks down on these people who do

not tap into their given good and greatness, but he still knows he must remain satisfied with
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men as they are and treat them with some level of respect because though blocked by ignorance,

man always has the potential to do well in our world. Both Emerson's and Thoreau's pieces

represent the transcendental belief that man is inherently good and has this potential to bring

forth greatness into the world, showing that their views on the world they lived in stemmed from

this motif. Both authors see this goodness and great potential in man and know that once tapped

into, amazing historical changes can take place within our different cultures.

Inherent goodness of man had not only a strong effect on literature, but also a strong

effect on societies across the United States around the 1800s. The ideas of the 2nd Great

Awakening (a protestant religious revival movement) were largely inspired by transcendental

beliefs especially that of inherent goodness of man and the effects of this movement was seen

through reform movements. During the 2nd Great Awakening ideas of being the best person one

can be were spread across the US and this motivated people to act in the name of doing good just

for the sake of it. Inherent goodness of man holds this same ideal- that every person has the

potential to be perfect and it was this belief that activated people to self-improvement. Once

people had these ideas they took a step back and looked at the problems in society and realized

they were not okay with many of its issues and they also realized they had to help fix them if

they wanted to reach self perfection. These issues included slavery, alcohol, and lack of

womens rights. With motivation and inspiration from the ideas of the 2nd Great Awakening

and inherent goodness of man reform movements started and these helped shape the America we

have today. The temperance movement spread because alcohol was seen as a vice in society and

it caused sinful behavior such as adultery, violence, and increased crime rates and these
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behaviors went against being ones best self. Abolition movements also spread because people

felt that in order to better themselves they would need to help those suffering unfairly.

This shows inherent goodness of man led the actions of the American people to be self

improving, beneficial to society, and ultimately the positive direction America needed to head in

at that time.

In our art we see a globe that represents the US during the the early 19th century. During

the 2nd Great Awakening abolition movements and womens rights movements spread across

the US and they improved society and promoted positive change and this is represented through

the light shining through the globe. The people around the globe holding hands; women, blacks,

whites, and men are a representation of the attempts at unity being brought about by these

varying social reform movements during the antebellum era. All of this falls under the motif of

inherent goodness of man because it represents the American people striving for personal

greatness by working to make the world they lived in as principled and virtuous as the truths they

held inside. The light that illuminates the entire globe, and that shines through the holes

displaying where reform movements began show Emerson's idea of this momentary better

light or mans grasp on reason. We showed how these movements, ones that both men and

women of all races started, had a positive effect on the american culture, this positivity is

reflected through the light. We added photos of these different reforms to give context to what

we are talking about, showing how these people fighting for different rights were simple

everyday men and women who believed they could bring good into our world. This reflects back

to the transcendental motif by showing how everyone in mankind, regardless of age, race, or sex
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has this inherent good within that when cultivated can be used to spread equality, peace, and

happiness throughout all of our society.

The antebellum era reflects a time of great change in the American culture, a change

largely brought about by mans fight to make America a better country. Transcendental writers

like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau inspired many of these people with their

writings of the inherent goodness of man, showing the reformers of the early 19th century that

reason and understanding is brought into our world by man, man just has to tap into their given

potential to bring about change. Women's rights movements, abolitionists and the temperance

movement reflect this transcendental belief that man is inherently good, and with the spread of

these reform movements more and more people pre-civil war era began to fight for a change.

Mans own belief in their inherent goodness is reflected in the successes of all these reform

movements, and has continued to be an overarching belief in the minds of many men to this day.
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Work Cited:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Chapter VIII. Prospects. Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts, 3 Sept. 2009,

Accessed 28 November 2016.

"The Second Great Awakening - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. Boundless, Web. 30

Nov. 2016.

Thoreau, Henry David. Civil Disobedience. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, Oct.

2003, xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/civil.html. Accessed 30 November 2016.

"The Transcendentalists." The Transcendentalists - including Ralph Waldo Emerson - Henry

David Thoreau - Others - Dial Magazine. Web. 31 Nov. 2016.

"Reform Movements of the 19th Century." Study.com. Web. 31 Nov. 2016.