William Cullen Bryant And Transcendentalism - 833 Words

â€Å"William Cullen Bryant is the author of Thanatopsis. Bryant was born in Cumington, Massachusetts, and began writing poetry before he was nine years old. Bryant’s family is Puritan family, when he was a child, he was often ill, and his father asked him to walk in the forest to strengthen his constitution, which gave him a keen interest in nature. Bryants position combines the impulses of the British romantic school and his own New England conservatism. His life gradually moved away from the Calvinism of religion, the political transition from federalism to unification and Jacksons democratic attitudes. He thought poetry was an art of association, it inspires readers imagination with symbolism rather than direct imitation of life, and†¦show more content†¦The transcendentalists believed strongly in the power of the individual. Their beliefs are closely linked to romanticism, but they differ from attempts to embrace or at least not oppose scientific empiricism. The transcendentalists wanted to place their religion and philosophy in their principles rather than on, or falsified, physical experiences, but from the inner spiritual or spiritual nature of the human being. The transcendentalists argued that society and its institutions, particularly organized religions and political parties, corrupt the purity of the individual. They believe that people are at their best when it comes to true self-reliance and independence. Before William Cullen Bryant was 17 years old, he wrote a poem called â€Å"Thanatopsis†. This poem is about death and nature how to related to each other’s. Transcendentalists is how the God, nature and men connect to each other, and in Thanatopsis, Bryant combined with death and nature, nature is our final destination of mankind, and human death will enter into the world where God is, he compared nature to God. Bryant not afraid of death, he thinks when he dead, he can go back to â€Å"her†, the nature. He feels death like a long sleep, we shouldn’t afraid of death, we can’t be treated death as pain. â€Å"but, sustained and soothed. By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave† (Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant ) â€Å" When thoughts Of the lastShow MoreRelatedThe Fall Of The House Of Usher1651 Words   |  7 PagesMason Eggers Mrs. Szwajkowski Junior English 200 24 March 2016 Romanticism/Transcendentalism Essay Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† and William Cullen Bryant’s â€Å"Thanatopsis† illustrate several Romantic and Transcendentalist (and anti-Transcendentalist) traits. All of these authors are regarded as very important and influential Romantic writers. Their works are renowned all across the entire world. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†Read More`` Contemplations `` By Anne Bradstreet Essay1462 Words   |  6 Pagesnational church†¦ purging it of everything that harked back to Rome, especially the hierarchy of the Clergy and all the traditional Catholic rituals† (â€Å"John Winthrop† 165). Much like the Puritan period, the later nineteenth-century movement of Transcendentalism also took place in New England. However, there were some stark differences between the two. For instance, although a â€Å"religious quest†, Transcendentalists were not entirely motivated by religion. While the Puritans were devoted to reform andRead MoreDeath in Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant Essay447 Words   |  2 PagesDeath in Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant When people ponder death they wonder about the unknown with trepidation. As a young man, William Cullen Bryant wrote the Thanatopsis. 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Although nature canRead MoreThe Spirit And Beauty Of Nature, And The Power Of The Natural World1172 Words   |  5 PagesThe Romantic worldview emphasized the glory and beauty of nature, and the power of the natural world. A branch within Romanticism was Transcendentalism and its followers believed that â€Å"unifying principles could be found in the natural world, which became a sacred space that pointed to the immanent presence of the divine† (Sayre 877). Aspects found in nature have the ability to cause an individual to have a revelation as to why their life is unpleasant and allows them to find their purpose in lifeRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesSettlers’ Writings Highly religious and pragmatic - John Smith, founder of Jamestown, Virginia; Pocahontas - John Winthrop, â€Å"A Model of Christian Charity†: â€Å"†¦ We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (1630-50, pub. 1856) - Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), The Tenth Muse (1650), the first volume of poems published by a resident of the New World - Edward Taylor (1642- 1729), Preparatory Meditations (1682-1725Read More Puritanism: The People, Religion, and Poetry Essay4374 Words   |  18 Pagescommunicate something and rightly be interpreted by people. Though particular poets had different reasons for why it could be done, they all continued to operate as if it could be done. Without the theism of Puritanism, reading the book of nature became William Cullen Bryants Thanatopsis presents a personified nature to which everything and everyone is connected and belongs. In life, people are nourished by the earth and at death, people become part of it. He and other Fireside poets had a high view of nature