Jessica Gerlemann

American Literature

Beverley Sumey

October 23, 2011

Thoreau’s Philosophy and his belief in "Resistance to Civil Government."

Henry David Thoreau was a rebel. He believed in non-violent change and wanted to bring it about through non-violent protests. He felt that he did not owe anything to the government. He wanted to change laws non-violently because he felt they were unfair. He in an effort of trying to change a law as a rebel against the mainstream of what was decided to be good for the general public rebelled. He felt that he had not done anything to owe them anything so he earned paying the price for not paying his taxes. In his philosophy he didn’t believe in being obedient to civil governments. He wanted to change laws, and didn’t believe in being obedient to civil governments and went to jail for not paying his taxes. He enjoyed the motto that says, "The government is best which governs least." So clearly here Thoreau believed that government should stay out of the private affairs of everyday life. "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." I believe this could possibly be some part of a justification for Thoreau in his actions of wanting a civil reform on law. I also personally interpret that many men then struggled to change the world as they do now and the desperation might have been some explanation of their suffering it like a rock in a hard place. "Time is but the stream I go a fishing in." Thoreau must have felt his time was important to him and that maybe he could be doing better things with his life then wasting his time living by other people’s rules in whom aren’t necessarily looking out for his welfare. "Let us live one day as deliberately as nature. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity." In these last two quotes I believe that Thoreau is especially saying that at some point we could be making things in our life too complicated and that the answers lie in the peace and harmony of nature and the well-being it has on our soul. Whoso would be a man would be a nonconformist. At some point because a man has to learn to take charge as he grows into adulthood I believe that Thoreau is making some assumption that he needs to be a nonconformist because he isn’t so sure other people’s path or right. Either that or he is trying to set an example by taking the lead and get people to live life like him.

Jessica Gerlemann

American Literature

Beverley Sumey

October 23, 2011

Emerson’s Philosophy and Transcendentalism

Emerson believed in the deity and the divine of nature and God with the soul. He wrote self- reliance about how in some cases the oversoul should be one with nature. In his senses the oversoul is what many people think of the holy spirit of God and or the trion for some in certain cases. Emerson focuses on the unity of oneness with nature. "Man is his own star and the soul that can render an honest and a perfect man." This poem as part of the introduction shows the beginning of Emerson’s philosophy. Man being his own star is important because in the end with the help of God, God’s image is brought out in the best of us and we are the only one who can teach ourselves to truly shine for him. Trying to achieve a perfect human stand with others and making ourselves whole as a person obligated to morals and living righteously in society so as to not bring reproach upon God was likely an important aspect of his faith to him. Perfecting oneself was important in future growth of knowledge and learning about life so by doing this he was helping others to see the necessary and important things in life. "Trust thyself." In this quote I think Emerson is importantly trying to make a point that the only one you can really trust to make the right decisions for yourself sometimes is "yourself." You can learn from other people’s perspectives, retention and opinions but in the end you are the only one who truly understands you. At some point Emerson uses the symbolism of the perfection of the rose so perfect in it’s beauty. To lead a life of that similar to a rose is to find true peace and harmony.

Jessica Gerlemann

Poetry

John Thrower

October 10, 2011

Divine World of the Spirit vs. the Imperfect World of Our Everyday Lives

This poem, "Love Calls Us to the Things of the World," by Richard Wilbur is a dying example of two very controversial and yet conflicting ideas about our own world. There are two perspectives that must be defined. First, the love not of the things in the world such as greed or adultery but the love of the world the same way God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten perfect son’s life to allow the correction of the wrongs that had been done by the first parents because of free will. Second, the recessive state that many who are undereducated turn to because they do not try to understand the real world or the lessons in it and how they can make us who we become and we grow from them. This poem is talking about two very different realities of our world. One in which is positive and one in which is narcissistic.

In the poem, what is signified from the very beginning is the fact that some mornings should just be left to the simplicity of the love of hanging laundry and the awakening of tired eyes to the response from the noise of it. In this sense, we can say that the world should at times just be left to the simplicity of the things in it such as love or friendship or even the love in doing our own duty or chores in our role in life. "The eyes open to a cry of pulleys, And Spirited from sleep, the astounded soul, Hangs for a moment bodiless and simple." (p79) However, on the narcissistic side some tortured minds result to nothing but the thoughts of suicide, homicide or even abuse and harass when they can no longer understand the things in the world or make sense of them. In other words, thinking of themselves at the time more than anyone else the world might forget them or they may feel like no one really cares to understand their dark, lonesome life of personal suffering. "From the punctual rape of every day." (p80)

In context, I personally believe that the author is trying to say that things should stay somewhat simple so we aren’t suffering all these transgressions and problems sometimes and that we should enjoy the sole innocence of life without hurting another person or bringing reproach upon ourself or nonetheless God who in reality sees all things no matter how much we are suffering. The positive side of things of the divine world of spirit, God therein rests. It is in the world that God is all around us and there is true evidence of it. "The morning air is all awash with angels." (p80) However, in contrast Satan and the devil like places devour those who are lost in their own emotions and those of others and what they feel at the time and why and when they cannot make sense of them. In reality there is no sense that can be made from people who dominate one another to injury except the fact that they are suffering and do not know how to deal with their problems in a healthy way properly at the time.