transcendentalism vs. anti-transcendentalism
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Transcendentalism vs. Anti-transcendentalism By: gorge Jorge
6/3/04
`"Call me Ishmael", Wrote Melville in Moby Dick, A strong assertion with no question to its meaning. The personality of this statement defines transcendentalism. Many authors use Ishmael as a name of one who is wandering, just as Ishmael did in the Old Testament. Melville uses him as a narrator who goes along with his sea captains ridiculous demands and wants during his voyage. Both the negative wanderer of anti-transcendentalism and the blissful wanderer of transcendentalism are extremes. I would fall somewhere in between the two.
Emerson's portrayal of transcendentalism is much too extreme. He depicts a life style of wandering harmony. It is better to live with a purpose and guidelines than with this all over bliss he describes...