Topic 1:
History is a cycle and that is the complex nature of it. There are always old customs and traditional views of the way the world works that have been in place for many generations that are overthrown by new, "radical" ideas. These ideas remain and then become tradition until the cycle repeats itself again. Change is the way of the world, as we are an ever-changing, constantly evolving species. This is the way of history and it's no different for Americans. Throughout the two hundred years of American literature covered in class, we have seen changes in American’s ideas on God, human nature, and morality. New England was born with a purely Puritan view of God and human nature which stuck for over a hundred years. As we study the work of America’s greatest thinkers and writers, we gain deeper insight into societies views on god, divinity and nature, as they fluctuate throughout history. In this essay I will dissect different works by authors John Winthrop, Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph waldo Emerson in relation to their beliefs human nature, god, and morality.
In order to explain mysterious phenomena and understand how the world works, the Puritans adopted the idea that everything happens as a part of God's plan. In John Winthrop's, " A Modell of Christian Charity," he compels the English people to become a part of something bigger than themselves by using frequent allusions to the bible, to paint the image that this is all part of god's plan. To the Puritans, the bible was the divine word of God and the foremost authority on morality. Winthrop sought to articulate "the larger meaning and broader significance of" (BA), the journey to another world, and its ability for religious growth. He had a more positive outlook on human nature and the individual's religious desires, in that he believed humans could create good in this world. He believed that this community could be an example for rest of humanity, where the power of love could create a purely christian society. He uses his knowledge of mercy and “the law of nature and the law of grace”. Winthrop urged people to act against the “law of nature” and live up to the, “law of grace” . He based his knowledge of tradition from covenant theology; for he believed that every individual had their own civic duty to society, “Love thy neighbor”. He states that, “we are entered into covenant with” God, which embodied the Puritan belief that the old testament applies to any society that follows god's law and commands.
In Benjamin Franklin's “ The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”, Just like Winthrop, Franklin was also born into this Puritan society, and into a Puritan family. Although Franklin did not agree with Puritans views, he challenged them these old traditions with newer ones, consisting of his deist beliefs. Franklin differed from the Puritans, with their harsh and almost unappeasable versions of God's "wrath", as he believed in the scientific and that god was "all-good, and all-wise". Franklin came at a time when the world had become more developed, society had taken off, religion had changed, and people were becoming ambitious. The values of society at this time were extremely different from those of John winthrop's. Franklin's autobiography is historically significant because it establishes in literary form the first example of the fulfillment of the American Dream. He states “for want of modesty is want of sense,” and with this Franklin demonstrates the values and possibilities of life in the New World, counter to generations prior. Through his own rise from the lower middle class as a youth, to becoming one of the most admired men in the world, he asserts that success can be achieved through a solid work ethic. He proved that even undistinguished persons in Boston can, “through industry”, become great figures of importance in America. Today, when we think of the American Dream, thinking of the model set forth by Franklin in this autobiography.
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self Reliance”, he expands on the idea of individual thought, and thinking for oneself. The work as a whole, promotes self-reliance as an ideal, even a virtue, and contrasts it with various modes of dependence or conformity, such as society. Similar to many other of his works, he promotes individual experience over the knowledge gained from books, "To believe that what is true in your private heart is true for all men — that is genius” (BA). Emerson differed from the Puritan beliefs that preceded him in that he valued the role of the individual rather than the community. During this time period, American thinkers were beginning to expand on the unknown mysteries of the human psyche. Emerson believed that one should trust his human nature, be self-made, and to create one's own future. Similar to many transcendentalists, Emerson believed in the idea of nature theology and the importance of the individual in resisting the pressure to conform to society, which defeats self-reliance. He states that"the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” (BA).
Four years after Emerson wrote “Self Reliance” Thoreau embarked on his own journey of self discovery where he puts into practice statement some of these same philosophical ideals. In Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” he divulges his reasoning behind leaving society for the solitude of Walden. Certainly self-reliance is economic and social in walden as Thoreau discerns that independence is more valuable than neediness, or the wants of society. He viewed human nature and society as frivolous, he believed that people are so caught up in everyday life, that they do not have time to appreciate the beauty in the world around them. He laments this "blind obedience" (963) is ignorance that growth requires in order for man to develop.Thoreau learned to dwell in the contentment of solitude, contrasting to the Puritan values of an early American. Although he valued companionship, yet he simply refuses to the need for human society. During this period of Enlightenment thinking or “the Great Awakening” like most deep thinkers, Thoreau disregarded economic affairs, building on the idea of supporting himself through his own labor, producing more than he consumes, and working to produce a profit. Just like Franklin, Thoreau expands on the idea of the self made man, and reaping the rewards of hard work. Morality depends on a man actions and his choices, Thoreau considered being virtuous, to be living a life of virtue and self declared freedom. Significant to this time period, Thoreau began question religion, and understood the transcendentalist idea of man's unspoken connection with god, and seeing god in the natural world.
In conclusion, after studying the work of America’s greatest gained deeper insight into what older societies views on god, divinity and nature fluctuate. After dissecting different works by authors John Winthrop, Benjamin Franklin, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph waldo Emerson in relation to their beliefs human nature, god, and morality, it has been made apparent to me that we are an extremely easily influenced species. Throughout centuries we have sought answers to the same questions, through different means of understanding and worship. Change is the way of the world, as we are an ever-changing, constantly evolving species. It was interesting to see the ways in which the of the American Dream changed throughout history, which created the blueprint for the land we call home today.