American Literature Reflective Essay

Reflection
By studying American Romanticism, we are able to learn that American literature allows its readers to understand transcendentalist views which led to individuals in American society to realize that everyone perceives the world differently. In American literature, individuals are able to understand the values of transcendentalism in which it illustrates the importance of nature, self reliance, and individuality through essays such as “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”. In Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Walden” he says “ life never the bone where it is sweetest.” This quote suggests the importance of individuality due to the fact that we do not need to change to make others satisfied because we are only truly happy when we are able to accept ourselves. The best part in this unit was to look at an image and listen to the different

The text that had the most connection to its audience was “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau because we are able to perceive his perspective on the world through his experiences.

American Romanticism Progress Check 3.2 The essay “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau depicts his transcendentalists philosophical beliefs in which individuality and self-reliance is necessary to being truly happy through his use of hyperbole and rhetorical questions to illustrate his experiences with nature. The literary device of hyperbole is an exaggerated claim or statement that emphasizes a point. A rhetorical question has a similar effect in which it utilizes a question that does not require an answer to prove a point and persuade its audience. Thoreau uses these literary devices throughout his essay stresses multiple key points to persuade readers that living a simple life allows you to find truth through nature, emotions, and imagination. Thoreau first demonstrates his use of the literary device of hyperbole when he says “life never the bone where it is sweetest”