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Examples Of Transcendentalism In Dead Poets Society

1392 Words6 Pages

Race Hudson
English 11A
DPS Synthesis Paper
31 January 2023
Transcendentalism In The Dead Poets Society And Civil Disobedience
“You must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them good or unpopular” (Dead Poets Society). Transcendentalism is an intellectual movement that emphasized the dignity of the individual and advocates a simple mindful life. A paper written by Henry David Thoreau called “Civil Disobedience” talks about how your thoughts and ideas are stronger than a higher power’s beliefs and that you should follow your thought and ideas instead of following the herd. We, as a society, are still talking about this later on since it is an important belief everyone should consider in their lives since …show more content…

For example, when Mr. Keating pushed Todd to think freely and for himself. The scene took place during the school year in Mr. Keating’s English class. Todd at the time was shy and stayed away from participation, so Mr. Keating wanted him to read his poem out loud, but Todd didn’t do it. Mr. Keating then made Todd “`yawp” and describe Uncle Walt, a picture on the wall just saying and not thinking. Todd then went on to tell a great poem through Mr. Keating helping Todd find his inner voice, the class cheered, and Mr. Keating told Todd, “Don’t you forget this”. This demonstrates finding truth on your own because Mr. Keating pushed for Todd to think freely and to find his truth through poetry as he described Uncle Walt the way he saw it, not how others saw it, and discovered his truths that way. Another example of this is when Mr. Keating had his English class rip out the introduction to how to appreciate poetry. This happened on the 1st day of school in Mr. Keating’s classroom when he had Niel read the introductory. Once he was done, Mr. Keating had everyone rip it out, and after some hesitation, everyone did what was told. Mr. Keating wanted everyone to do this so his students could learn to think freely again. This demonstrates finding truth on your own since Mr. Keating didn’t want some guy telling his whole class how to appreciate poetry, he wanted them to learn that for themselves. He wants his students to have their own opinions instead of just living under one opinion forever without thinking about it. One final example is when Mr. Keating had his class go to the courtyard to have his students “find their walk”. This happened during the school day when as a class, they all marched to the courtyard. There, Mr. Keating explains that they were there to learn about conformity, not listening to others' beliefs and

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Dead Poets Society Transcendentalism is about life in which nature and the soul connect. In the movie Dead Poet Society, one of the characters who shows transcendentalism in Neil Perry. In the movie the students quoted poems and had their alone time with nature. They also relied on themselves and sought the spiritual side of things.

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He finally understood that “Doodle only walked because [he] was ashamed” and figured that this was not what Doodle really even wanted. In the short story, the narrator was characterized as one who cared less about the people around him than he did about himself. He would try to accomplish things that would benefit him personally but wouldn’t care at all about how it may affect others. This example of the narrator hurting someone helps explain that there must be careful thought before any action is made because of the way it may negatively affect a person. Later, towards the end of the story, the narrator made a life-changing decision regarding Doodle which further explained the importance of thinking before acting.

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Hunter Lahrmer Mrs. Gillum English 11 A 21 March 2018 Transcendentalism in Dead Poets Society Believing in power to self, finding truth via nature, valuing feeling over reason, and relying on friends – all of these are characteristics of Transcendentalism, and were apparent in the movie, Dead Poets Society, mostly through its characters. One character who started out non-Transcendental but by the end of the movie, demonstrated Transcendental qualities was a student at Welton, Todd Anderson. Todd Anderson at the beginning of the movie, was a quiet new kid that really didn’t express his mind, but by the end of the movie Todd Anderson acquired many Transcendental qualities, like valuing feeling over reason. It is clear by the end of the movie, Todd has become a true Transcendental character. Todd Anderson went from being non Transcendental to being Transcendental throughout the movie.

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An example from this part of the story is “But Doodle couldn't keep up with the plan. Once, he collapsed on the ground and began to cry. " Aw, come on, Doodle. You can do it. Do you want to be different from everybody else when you start school?"

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There are many common themes that run through transcendentalism literature. In the book Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless goes on a journey any transcendentalist author would be proud of. The theme threaded throughout the book is that of following an individual's heart to make decisions. McCandless lived his life in an unusual way that veered away from society norms, and surprised most of the people he encountered. One such person was Gallien, “This [the Stampede Trail], Alex announced to Gallien, was where he intended to go.

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Chris McCandless was a young and adventurous man, and at age twenty two, he set out to travel on his own in the American wilderness with only a ten pound bag of rice, a plant guide, a rifle with ammunition, and a camera. There’s much debate about this boy and his character, but a frequently asked question is whether he really embodied transcendentalism or if he was just a priveleged boy on an unprepared and reckless mission. Throughout Into the Wild, a nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer, his actions and reasoning are revealed through his adventures and thoughts. By the time Krakauer's journalistic exploration is over, McCandless is proven to just be a man who follows many transcendentalist influences. Chris McCandless grew up disagreeing with

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Kevin Sun Mrs. Cohen English 2CP --D February 22, 2018 Another Perspective The film Into the Wild is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who rejected the consumerist society of America in order to live a more simple life. Through his travels, Chris carried essays by Transcendentalist philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, suggesting that McCandless is impacted by Transcendentalist ideals. Two key tenets of Transcendentalism that clearly influenced McCandless’ choices are the value of simplicity and the importance of self-reliance.

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Was Chris McCandless a true transcendentalist? Transcendentalism is a system developed by Immanuel Kant, based on the idea that, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures. In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, McCandless is viewed as a transcendentalist.

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An example of that, is brother had to keep being told to bring Doodle with him wherever he went instead of just taking Doodle with him without being told. The last way the story would

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Into the Wild; the Realist Account of a Transcendentalist’s Story Into the Wild is a realist work of literature that tells the tale of Chris McCandless, a man who lived his life in accordance with transcendentalist philosophy. The novel itself, Into the Wild, can be classified as a realist work, for its honest and truthful portrayal of one man's life. It includes both the good and the bad, with candor and simplicity. In its pages is the telling of Chris McCandless’s life, and adventure. It reveals that McCandless is a transcendentalist, who rejected the typical societal life for one that revered self reliance, nature, and human connections.

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Transcendentalism is a belief in a higher reality, knowledge, and an experience that is only achieved by humans. Also, it suggests that every individual is capable of discovering their higher truth. One way to figure this is by non-conformity which means that they fail or refuse to follow the rules as while as with established customs, attitudes or ideas. In “Into the Wild”, “Stride Toward Freedom” and Monster Inc we can all see the trait non-conformity. “Into the Wild” is about a 24-year-old man named Christopher Johnson McCandless and how one day he decided that he had enough with society.

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Jad Mohammad Mr.Whittaker English II 29 March 2023 The DPS Suicide What is the Dead Poets Society movie about? The Dead Poet Society is set in Welton academy, and it is a boarding school for young men, and its 4 pillars are Tradition, Discipline, Honor and Excellence. furthermore a new English teacher arrives at the school, and he is Mr Keating, furthermore he is static and round through the movie.

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Nature Is Real Life Society could stress us with fake desires but, “In the woods, we return to reason and faith.” (Emerson 243) In the book, Into the Wild, John Krakauer documents Chris McCandless, fighting to find truth in the nature away from society. Ralph Waldo Emerson's views of finding truth in nature include leaving society, noticing life around yourself, and understanding that nature is filled with truth. Chris McCandless is driven by the transcendentalist ideal of finding self-truth in nature.

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In 2006 famous zookeeper and environmentalist Robert Steve Irwin died of a stingray sting while doing what he loved; being with nature. While many mourned his death, he was immortalized for his deep appreciation of nature and his connection with animals. The 2007 film Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn, details the real life experiences and death of Chris Mccandless and his journey to Alaska. Chris, inspired by the transcendentalist movement, wanted to live and survive with nature alone and so, he did until his untimely death at the hand of food poisoning and starvation. Although many argue that Chris was rash and impulsive, ultimately, Chris Mccandless is a transcendentalist because he lived independently, learned and observed nature, and

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