The Transcendentalists were characterized by a belief in the doctrine that there existed an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable only through intuition. ... In opposition to Emerson's belief of conformity as negative, that the conformist will be "clapped into jail by his own consciousness" (21), conformity is a necessary characteristic of man developed to avoid very real dangers. ... Emerson claims that "No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. ... With this boldness he dares to suggest that societal rules and laws are completely se...

• Word Count: 1633
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These traits and beliefs can be found in scenes such as when Ellen and Henry are on the boat, when Waldo hires Thoreau, and When Henry is arrested. ... In this scene we see Henry's love for nature and his belief in simplicity.One can see that Henry is concerned for nature he says, "We're poisoning paradise. ... In this scene we see Henry's outstanding ability to teach, his patience, and his love for nature. A few traits of Henry David Thoreau are demonstrated in the scene in which Emerson hires Henry. ... This scene reveals Henry's lack of desire for money, and the...

• Word Count: 1091
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Few were educated due to the prevalent belief that women didn't have the capacity to learn and that women were predestined to lives of domestic servitude. ... "Although he paid lip-service to a firm belief in the equality of the sexes, it was not in his character to treat his wife as a partner with rights equal to his own" (Wade 5). ... Fuller's affiliation with men like Ralph Waldo Emerson (who became her lifelong friend), Bronson Alcott, George Ripley and William Ellery Channing initiated her into the new world of so-called Transcendentalists. ... In 1840, the Transcendentalist ...

• Word Count: 2090
• Approx Pages: 8