Ralph Waldo Emerson And Transcendentalism
             Ralph Waldo Emerson, a respected philosopher emerged in the late 1830's as the most influential spokesman for American literary nationalism. (Prentice Hall, 273) As the leading light of the Transcendentalism movement, an American offshoot of Romanticism, "Self-Reliance" by Emerson seemed tame and innocent, however it constitutes "uncivilized free and wild thinking" by focusing all one's attention towards human spirit and discovering that human spirit is reflected in nature. Throughout "Self-Reliance", Emerson uses the elements of literature; diction, syntax, symbolism, imagery and tone that creates "uncivilized free and wild thinking."
             Emerson believes these elements, nature and human surrounding, are central to the presumption of how the individual would react. "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its member." Man would conceive that Emerson believed that the individual felt they should explore nature thoroughly, then the individual will come to their senses, know who they are, and get well aquatinted with nature. This will assist the individual to discover the human soul and intuition, which will be a reflection period for nature and the individual's psyche. Emerson wrote, "speak what you think now...speak what tomorrow thinks..." This would contradict what the individual would say beforehand, which makes the individual a hypocrite. However, many can interpret this quote by having Emerson advocate individuality by not following the crowd and speaking what one yearns and opines. "Is it so bad to misunderstood?" The message that Emerson was trying to send to his readers duri!
             ng time period, to be successful, one has to be unique and misunderstood by others. Emerson was trying to point out that "Pythagoras ... and Newton", each on of these brilliant individuals, nonconformist, disagreed and rejected the doctrine of an established faith or church....