Did the American Transcendentalist movement cause non-conformity in society today?

Question

My Honor's English teacher recently assigned my class a cause and effect essay on Transcendentalism. She told the class to quote Emerson's essay Self-Reliance and Thoreau's book Walden and show "how the belief expressed in the quotes are still relevant today with a personal example." She also said that our thesis needed to demonstrate a cause and effect relationship between the two.*

My first question is, is she actually describing a cause and effect essay?

Second, is there a direct relationship between the American Transcendentalist movement of the 1830's and how people act more independent and non-conformist today? The only connection I could find was that both are the effect of some deeper human drive to be an individual in society, or am I missing something?

Finally, I am considering writing a short essay to my teacher explaining (in a not so nice manner) why I think this essay was a waste of paper and how there is no cause/effect relationship between the two topics.

* She said that that was what we were supposed to do, but when we asked her how we were supposed to do it, she would sidestep the question. I once pointed out that I believed the Transcendentalist movement did not cause non-conformity, but that both are the effects of some deeper human need to be unique or special. The whole class agreed with me, but my teacher could not respond at all to why Transcendentalism is really the cause and individuality the effect. I believe we have been given an impossible assignment.

Answer 1

You've got it backwards. Non-conformity is what caused the Transendental movement.

Answer 2

Very nice question! 1. Murder/Rape 2. Sexism & The Body Image Girls Look Up To 3. Government - (Immigration, President, War, Economy) 4. Out of Control Children 5. Drugs 6. Pollution/Global Warming I have no idea how to fix them. I just wish all the parents in the world would care about their children, and I wish drugs were only made possible in medicine and every medication had to have a prescription. I wish people would stop burning garbage and see the cloud-like billows of smoke they're sending in the air. I wish people would fess up to global warming, and that the parents would actually care enough about their kids to prevent them from dying from it in the future. I wish everything was perfect. Don't we all?

Answer 3

the assignment sux.no one remembers the transcendentalist movement today-even in its time,it was insular,a bunch of well-to-do new englanders and their utopian philosophies.all we ever learned about them was that thorough was one and so were louisa may alcotts family.the real individualists,mavericks and non-conformists?the pioneers!!!!!and i doubt many of them cared a hoot for a bunch of crusty yankee bluebloods-never even heard of them!!!!!print this out and give it to ur teacher.please !!!!!