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Transcendentalism literature and its impact
Transcendentalism literature and its impact
Transcendentalism literature and its impact
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If you were to ask me what I think about transcendentalism, I would be forced to say it is truly something I can find myself following. Emerson said we should make our own lives and not allow anyone else to tell us how to live: not our parents, not religion, not society. Thoreau said we should not support governments who are doing dirty deals and not doing right by their people. I happen to agree with both on both of these issues. The fashion industry is famous for begging everyone to buy this blouse and be like that model. All the young teenage girls are encouraged to be the same shape and size. With the music industry, there is not even much difference between the music being cranked out in Los Angeles versus Nashville. Most recording
artists have a difficult time not borrowing the music riffs of other music writers. There is not much originality anywhere at all. All the styles are the same and everyone wants to be like everyone else; they are afraid to stand out and apart from one another. Yet transcendentalism preaches the opposite: be your own man and do your own thing. Do not let anyone make you into a duplicate of everyone else. Have your own opinions, thoughts, ideas, dreams and dare to attempt to live them. All of these things lie under the definition of transcendentalism and during the days of Thoreau and Emerson, they were shocking. Most people followed what their government said. If the President said to pay these taxes and let's all go to war, the inhabitants nodded their heads and paid their taxes and went to war. Finally, I also believe the people of North Korea could use a hefty dose of transcendentalism and in a quick fast hurry.
Dante write one of the masterpiece of the literature, a book that even third fourths of a century later people still reading but behind dark lines like as “Through me you enter into the city of woes, Through me you enter into the eternal pain, Through me you enter the population of loss” (Dante 19.1-3) must exist a reason or a purpose to write these lines. Dante born in 1265 in the cradle of Florence. In his childhood only two things happen that has transcendental for his work in literature, her mother died in 1272 (when Dante had 7 years old). Also, in may 1 of 1974 he meets Beatrice when he was nine years and her eight years and Dante instantly falls in love with her. “She began in a soft angelic voice”(Dante 13.47), this type of word Dante
Transcendentalism plays a key role in all of our lives. Many commonly shared values are rooted from the transcendental keys. Some devote their entire lives to try and live as transcendental as possible. For example, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were huge undertakers in these ideas and virtues. Chris McCandless looked up to these great thinkers and many others to find an outline for his life. McCandless dedicated his entire life to following many transcendental keys such as non-conformity, reducing dependence on property, and self-reliance.
“Everyman, I will go with thee and by thy guide, in thy most need to go by thy side,” said Randolf Hayes while talking about Ralph Waldo Emerson. One of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s pieces of literature is The American Scholar. This connects to Jon Krakuaer’s novel, Into the Wild. All of these pieces connect because they all show transcendentalism.
What is transcendentalism? Webster says transcendentalism is a philosophy that says that thought and spiritual things are more real than ordinary human experience and material things. The more simplified definition of it is the idea that our spirits have deep connection with. We are more "in tune" with nature and our mood is depicted by nature. So people can come to the conclusion that the “going green” movement and being “eco-friendly” is all a part of transcendentalism, and people who support these movements are transcendentalists. Leonardo DiCaprio, a multi millionaire, lives his life eco-friendly, and donates millions of dollars to protect our environment. By doing this, he is showing that he values the environment and nature more than he values material items, which is part of being a transcendentalist. DiCaprio is also an advocate for the gay rights movement. The other part of being a transcendentalist is the independence of the individual; and in today’s society the gay rights movement has become a great deal and the supporters of gay rights can be considered transcendentalists because homosexuality is interlinked with independence of the individual, which is stressed by transcendentalism.
When I was about six or seven I was diagnosed with Aspergers which is a type of Autism. Over the years I have had a bunch of help in my life thanks to my mother and father. Now I bet you really can’t tell because of all the help I have gotten over the years. The trait of transcendentalism is shown here is human potential. In the movie Dead Poets Society, it is about having teenagers form a club, as the same name as the movie. With help from their teacher, they figure out who they are as people and who they want to end up being as life moves on. Transcendentalism is not conforming from society. This movie demonstrates non-conformity, respect for nature, and human potential, which are all traits of Transcendentalism.
Throughout Dead Poets Society, there is a crucial theme of transcendentalism suspended over the plot; perhaps this theme is the reason why the story is so interesting to its viewers. Without a doubt, these interesting aspects are created by a variety of symbols, carefully molded into each scene of the story. Being that there exists several symbolic scenes, one must take a step back and look at this story as a whole. This perspective will make the main symbol stand out, as it lasts for the duration of the movie. The most powerful symbol is the character of John Keating, portraying God in the eyes of transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism could be considered to be one of the first revolutionary movements in United States history. They weren’t violent protesters but instead people who challenged the social norm and encouraged non-conformity. The effects of the Transcendentals and their influence are still felt today in writings and in movies such as Dead Poet’s Society. The movie Dead Poet's Society focuses on a group of highschoolers in an overbearing high school and their teacher, Mr. Keating. Mr Keating is a believer in the Transcendentalist movement and challenges normal teaching practices. His students take inspiration from Mr. Keating and take the Transcendentalist tenets to heart. But incorporating the tenets of Transcendentalism into your everyday life is not worth the risks that it poses. It can lead to being cast out from
Throughout the past centuries, the concept of instinctive morality has been debated back and forth. One philosophy with a strong viewpoint on this subject is Puritanism, because they believe that since the beginning of the world, people have been born sinners. Puritans felt that Adam and Eve’s temptation by Satan had cursed all of humanity to be born evil. A few decades later, Deists shifted their ideas away from religion and believed that every person could choose whether they were good or bad. Then, Transcendental ideas began the thought that humans were born innately good, and that God and Satan had nothing to do with people’s morality. Throughout the major literary philosophies in the United States, one can see how the innate character of a human progresses from being evil to being innately good.
Transcendentalism to some is may just be a long, lengthy word coined two hundred years ago that is not used today, but to other people, people like Chris McCandless, it is a way of life. They use these qualities to shape their life and strive hard to follow them. Chris McCandless was so focused on embodying the qualities of transcendentalism that he failed to see how much danger he was putting himself in. He had little to no common sense as shown by Westerberg. “But there were gaps in his thinking. I remember once I went over to the house, walked into the kitchen, and noticed a god-awful stink. I mean it smelled nasty in there. I opened the microwave, and the bottom of it was filled with rancid grease. Alex had been using it to cook chicken, and it never occurred to him that the grease had to drain somewhere. It wasn’t that he was too lazy to clean it up- Alex always kept things real neat and orderly- it was just that he hadn’t noticed the grease” (Krakauer 45). McCandless embodied the values of transcendentalism by believing in living closer to nature, believing in the dignity of manual labor, and being self reliant.
Finding oneself has always been an important discovery that everyone must experience in their lifetime. In the book, Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless abandoned all he knew and set out on a journey across the country. Along the way, Chris’ beliefs about the spirituality and sacredness of the natural world, led him to find himself. Following these ideals and morals, Chris McCandless was a transcendental idealist who was able to fulfill his dreams.
In this essay, I will compare the philosophies of transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism through the writings of Thoreau and Emerson vs. Melville. In Thoreau’s excerpt of “Walden”, he tested the transcendentalist philosophy through experience. Emerson’s transcendental writing style is displayed in “Nature”. In Melville’s excerpt of Moby Dick, he exhibits anti-transcendentalism in his work.
Transcendentalism is based on the belief that institutions in the society corrupt an individual’s purity. Transcendentalists believe that people are at their best when they are truly independent and self-reliant. They also believe that from independence and self-reliance, a true community is formed. Even though Transcendentalism is not recognized, it still exists in the modern society. Though not clearly outspoken as in Emerson and Thoreau’s times, many people in today’s society still have transcendental beliefs. Transcendental ideals are found in songs, films, books and other works such as media and advertisements. One example is the song “Get up, Stand up,” by Bob Marley, it is found to be influenced and has inspiration of transcendental elements such as Solitude (individuality), self-reliance, non-conformism (anti-institution), anti-materialism, nature and spirituality.
Modern day transcendentalists are not easily found anymore in society. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what a transcendentalist is. By being your own self, following your own standards and being yourself, you become transcendental. By looking at the Robertsons’ way of life, they would make a tremendous example of modern day transcendentalists. Their religion, love of nature, and individualism create a transcendental lifestyle.
...ed to an optimistic emphasis on individualism, self-reliance, and rejection of traditional authority” (American 1). The major players in the transcendentalist movement are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. They shared ideas such as self-reliance, and ideas about how there is a divine being that controls every person. They influenced many other writers and they even had an effect on the American society, then and now. Transcendentalism was a philosophy and a way of life. It will continue to be this as long as we have access to the great minds of the transcendental movement.
Characters in The Scarlet Letter do display Transcendental qualities but not in a way that illustrates Hawthorne’s underlying adherence to Emerson’s philosophies through Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth. To begin, Hester Prynne’s relation to Transcendentalism is shown through her capability to shy away from societal norms. Emerson writes in Self Reliance, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” What Emerson is trying to say is that everyone is pushed by society to conform, but once you stop listening to the voices and follow your own path, you transcend. When confronted with her sin she proudly stitched the A on her bosom and stood valiantly on the platform. Hawthorne writes, “In