The Black Cat Transcendentalism

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Edgar Allen Poe are two well known American writers. Emerson is known for leading the Transcendentalist Movement in the 19th century. Transcendentalism is, “A philosophy that emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). Poe is known for being apart of The Dark Romantics. The Dark Romantics opposes the optimistic views of the world that were favored by Emerson. Some of the key writing pieces Poe is known for writing are, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat”. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is about how much the narrator hates the fogged over eye of a old man and how

He later kills the cat because of the sin he committed in wounding it. He later gets a new cat and tries to kill this one in another rage of anger, but his wife stops him. This really infuriates the man even more so he kills her. He hides her body in the cellar wall of his house. The police come and he almost gets away without them finding it, but a scream comes from the wall which is presumably the cat giving the man up. The story is written as a man clearing his conscience on the eve of his execution, getting his side of the story out. One of the key writing pieces Emerson is known for writing is “Self-Reliance”.The definition of self-reliance is; “The reliance on one’s own powers and resources rather than those of others” (Google comprised definition). The short story “Self-Reliance” is about the necessity for every person in this world to avoid the conformity and false consistency, and the need for them to follow their own instincts and ideas. People have to stop worrying about following the set path and be more inclined to veer off and make their own path and take risks in

In the story “Self-Reliance”, we also see examples of this. “No kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till” (“Self-Reliance” 369). In life, you have to work for things you want to get and achieve. If you don't work, you can't expect to get things in return. You must work to provide for yourself through body and mind. Another example supporting the same topic can also be found in self-reliance. “He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness” (“Self-Reliance” 370). If you want to be noticed in the world, you have to not follow mainstream ideas. You must work for and do things even if they may seem ruthless and rash. You can't rely on someone else to make decisions for you. To be noticed and self-reliant you have to speak for yourself. You can't just do something because someone else might think it is a good thing to do. To be self-reliant you have be self sufficient and work for what you want and can't rely on others to make and change decisions you might make. Besides being self sufficient, you must not allow others to persuade your