Transcendentalist Beliefs
Transcendentalism began in this region of the United States.
What is New England?
Emerson argues that people should trust this above society's expectations.
What is their own intuition/themselves?
Thoreau lived simply for two years at this pond while writing about nature and independence.
What is Walden Pond?
Whitman often wrote in this poetic style without regular rhyme or meter.
What is free verse?
Dickinson often used this punctuation mark throughout her poetry.
What is a dash?
This belief says people should trust their inner voice rather than society.
What is self-reliance?
Emerson believed that people understand truth best through this rather than through institutions or tradition.
What is nature?
This essay argues that people should refuse to follow unjust laws.
What is "Civil Disobedience"?
Whitman wrote this famous poetry collection celebrating democracy and humanity.
What is Leaves of Grass?
Dickinson frequently wrote about death, nature, faith, and this internal human quality.
What is the soul/the mind?
Transcendentalists believed people are naturally this, meaning they have an inherent moral goodness.
What is good?
Emerson believed people should avoid blindly following the expectations of society.
What is conformity?
Thoreau's experiment at Walden meant to demonstrate this Transcendentalist belief about life. (hint...he didn't have a lot of things)
What is living simply?
"O Captain, My Captain" mourns the death of this president after his assassination.
Who is Abraham Lincoln?
In many of her poems, Dickinson uses this type of rhyme that is not exact, but nearly so.
What is slant/half rhyme?
Transcendentalists believed people should look inward and trust their own thoughts and feelings rather than rely completely on outside authorities.
What is self-trust/trust thyself?
Emerson describes becoming a "transparent eyeball," meaning he feels completely connected to this.
What is the universe/nature?
Thoreau believed that individuals should avoid supporting a government that allows this institution.
What is slavery?
Whitman frequently wrote long lists of images, people, and actions in his poems. This technique is called this.
What is cataloging?
Dickinson's poems are often brief and compressed, using this literary technique that suggests deeper meaning beyond the words.
What is figurative language/symbolism?
Transcendentalists believed every person contains a piece of this universal spiritual connection between humans and nature.
What is the Over-Soul?
Emerson says that a foolish consistency is the "hobgoblin" of these types of thinkers.
What are little minds?
This 20th-century Civil Rights leader used Thoreau's idea of civil disobedience as his inspiration for nonviolent resistance.
Who is Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.?
Whitman believed poetry should include these types of Americans, not just the elites.
What are ordinary working people?
Most of Dickinson's poetry did not get published until this time.
What is after her death?