OliviaSalem

11APlanguage
Ms.Thivierge
9/25/16
PoesCautiontotheTranscendentalMind
TheliteraryofworksEdgarAllenPoemayseemveryharshandcrueloutsideofcontext.
Hiswritingcoversgrimtopicssuchasmurder,insanity,andaddiction.However,thepurposeof
usingthesetopicsaretodepicthowsomepeopletrulyarewithinasociety.Poeusesthese
peopletocautionthetranscendentalmind.
Themainideaoftranscendentalismishavinganopenmindandbeingableto
comprehendthephysicalworldinaspiritualsense.Italsoemphasizedselfreliance,meaning
peopleshouldactandbelieveastheywish.Iftheworldwascompletelytranscendental,there
wouldbenogovernmentorlawsbecausepeoplewouldbeabletolivenaturallyinaccordanceto
themselvesandtheirsurroundings.Poeusesmadmen,addicts,andmurderersinhisstoriesto
emphasizetheevilinthisworld.Therewillalwaysbecrazyandirrationalpeopleintheworld.
Therefore,Poeisinsinuatingthatthisconceptoftranscendentalismisunrealisticbecausethere
arepeopleinthisworldwhoarenotcapableofbeingselfreliant.Forexample,inTheBlack
Catthereisamanwhoviolentlymurdershiscatandthenlateraxeshiswife.Asthenarrator,
themanexplainswhathehasdonebutcompletelylacksownership.Hedoesnotfeelguilty
aboutwhathehasdoneandputsalloftheblameonthecat.Themansreasoningbehindkilling
hiscatandwifewerebecausehehadadesireforsin.Heactedinanevilwaytofulfillthat
longing.Inasense,thiswasatranscendentalaction.Althoughtherewerebadintentions,he

actedoutofdesiretobebad.InTheImpofthePerversePoediscussesthehumaninstinctto
dobadthingssolelyfortheysakeofdoingwrongorharm.Also,hestucktoapersonalbelief
systeminwhichhedepictedhimselfasinnocent.Transcendentalismreliesentirelyonthe
assumptionthatpeopleareessentiallygood(Jones155).Obviously,notallpeopleare
essentiallygood,andthatiswhatPoeistryingtodepictthroughhischaracters.Throughthe
twistedformoftranscendentalisminhisstories,Poeiswarninghisreadersabouthow
transcendentalismcantakeaturnfortheworsedependingonthepersontherefore,itisnota
goodideaforanentiresocietytolivebytranscendentalmeans.
AnotherwayPoepokesfunattheideaoftranscendentalismthroughhismockeryof
EmersonsTransparenteyeball.Themetaphorofthetransparenteyeballisexpressingsomeone
whoisabletoseeeverythingandtakeitallin.Itexpressessomeonewhoisabletotakeinallof
thenaturearoundthemandbeabletounderstandtherelationshipbetweenoneandhisorher
UniversalBeingonaspirituallevel.InPoesTheBlackCatthefirstthingthenarratordoesto
thecatiscutitseyeoutfromitssocket.InTheTellTaleHeartthenarratordecidestokillan
innocentoldmanbecausethedoesnotlikehiseyes.BetweenthesetwopiecesofworkPoeis
usingtheeyeasasymboloftheinstigatorofacompletelyirrationalactofviolence.Heis
insinuatingthatifoneactstranscendentalandtriestolivelifewithatransparenteyeballthenhe
orsheisgoingtocauseanirrationalactofviolence.Thisviolencewillprobablynotbeas
gruesomeasPoesexample,butnevertheless,itcanstillleadtobadthings.Oneexampleofa
badthingthatcanhappenifasocietybecomestranscendentalisanarchyastheystrivetobea
perfectsocietywithoutneedofgovernment.Inconclusion,Poeswritingisdefinitelyawarning
tocautionthetranscendentalistmind.