The Like Minds of Emerson and Douglass Essay -- Biography Biographies

The Like Minds of Emerson and Douglass Few, if any, writers of the American Renaissance uttermost had as great an influence on contemporaries as did Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was insistent that America put its mark on the literary knowledge domain with its own, genuine American literature, and he launched the move handst with his own kit and boodle (Bode 574). Frederick Douglass was a slave of the American s let outh when Emerson was starting out and moving up in his profession. Eventually, Douglass became Emersons fellow writer and lecturer. Douglass was present and was asked to speak for the Womens Anti-Slavery Society in August 1844, in Concord, where Emerson was the keynote speaker. The two men shared common ideas, as we shall see as the literary works and lives of the two men are examined. To some extent Emerson had an influence on Douglasss expressed views, but on the other hand, some of Douglasss views were a product of his own natural inclination. Emerson believed that t he human spirit could be relied on to lift man up to overcome any wo that might be encountered (Bode 574). Douglass inadvertantly proved Emerson right when he lifted himself out of the dehumanizing bondage of slavery through his sheer will of human spirit. Douglass went on to become a hero of the slave movement after he gained his freedom. Emerson believed in a existence and a knowledge that transcended the everyday reality He also felt strongly that individuals should trust fully in the integrity of self (Bode 573). There is a correspondence between this successful man of Emersons and Frederick Douglass. During the course of Douglasss career, his actions and words epitomized Emersonian ideas. The issue of abolishment of slavery d... ...ce, exemplary character, and social inspiration (Martin 263). Works Cited Belasco, Susan. Harriet Martineaus mysterious Hero and the American Antislavery Movement. Nineteenth-Century Literature, Vol II. University of California Press, 2000 . 1-23. Bode, Carl. Emerson. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography Vol III. new(a) York McGraw-Hill Inc., 1973. 572-574. Frederick Douglass 1818-1895. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston Houghton, 1998. 1578-1690. Martin, Waldo E., Jr. The Mind of Frederick Douglass. chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press, 1985. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston Houghton, 1998. 1578-1690. Rowe, stern Carlos. At Emersons Tomb The Politics of Classic American Literature. crude York Columbia UP, 1997.