Transcendentalism is a major romantic movement during the 19th century. It was a period of romance where people learned to love themselves. The poem Self-Reliance, is by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In this excerpt, he emphasizes the traits of being a transcendentalist. The selection Tia Chucha, is by Luis Rodriguez.
“We need the tonic of wildness... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because it is unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature” -Henry David Thoreau, Walden. In Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, a biographical account of Chris McCandless’s life, after graduating from college, 22-year-old McCandless decides to cut all ties from his family and hitchhike across America and live as simply as possible.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer.
When you go outside into nature all you may see are trees, flowers, and animals. When a transcendentalist goes goes outside and into nature they see so much beauty. They see the souls of the plants, the animals, and the world of nature. They will also use nature to get closer to a higher power. They will find a way to make everything in the world more beautiful than what people without their vision, or ideas would see.
After the American Revolution people were inspired to create their own identity separate from England, some people wanted something different from the traditional Age of Reason. Transcendentalism is a branch of Romanticism that began in Germany, it’s beliefs are separated into three topics nature, individualism, and optimism. They believed nature is where one could reach the highest level of spirituality. Individualism is where they believed in nonconforming and rejecting society’s beliefs. Lastly optimism where beliefs that people are naturally good and they were convinced of the essential goodness of life.
Felisha Mann Transcendentalism is present in today’s culture in ways we do not even notice. It is in our music, television, and movies. These parts of today 's culture show free thought, nonconformity, and the role of nature. In Today 's music a common transcendentalism theme is shown.
Enlightenment thinking declared that the world is best understood through reason and science. Transcendentalists believed that they had knowledge about themselves and the world around them that goes beyond what science can tell you that came from intuition and imagination. The two are like a coin-something that has two sides, but ultimately comes together and is one object. Transcendentalists thought that studying the world using only science and reason was insufficient and went on to emphasize the importance of our emotion and intuition. Transcendentalism was an intellectual movement, and the thinkers were not wrong to take such action.
Most members of society would not consider a domestic terrorist a brilliant mind. Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, is noted to have an IQ, or intelligence quotient, of 167. According to the article “What is IQ?” by Mensa International, IQ is “a type of standard score that indicates how far above, or how far below, his/her peer group an individual stands in mental ability. The peer group score is an IQ of 100; this is obtained by applying the same test to huge numbers of people from all socio-economic strata of society, and taking the average” (Mensa).
We may follow conformity or individuality. We choose to be someone else to be accepted or just be ourselves. Let people think what they want to think. Be weird if you want, be different.
Transcendentalism and Romanticism are indubitably related to one another in numerous ways. However, the things that give each singularity are the deciding points as to which of the two someone may think of either as more viable. I propose that, although Romanticism’s ideas may be viewed as less practical than those offered by Transcendentalism, they are more capable of bringing one personal happiness. If I had to ground any aspect of my life on either, I think Romanticism would be the more reasonable choice. I am not exceptionally religious nor do I definitely believe in a god; but I do believe in good and evil, and some elements of the supernatural.
Transcendentalism has five main characteristics, confidence, self-reliance, appreciating nature, free thought, and nonconformity (Day). Most people today still find many, if not all, of these characteristics very important and necessary. This is reflected in our communities in the things that are produced in aim to keep these characteristics at the forefront of society. Although the Transcendentalist movement has since ended, key characteristic and beliefs of the movement still heavily influence our modern society in many aspects such as music, pop culture, and film.
Transcendentalism can be described a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and observational. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, many transcendental writers emerged. Many of who wrote about different transcendental ideals. When comparing the two poems, “anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E. E. Cummings, and “Tia Chucha” by Luis Rodriguez, one can undoubtedly see the differences between some of the transcendentalist values. Although both written by transcendentalist authors, each of these poems branch off into completely different sides of transcendentalist thought.
Religions often include: spiritual explanations of our place in the world in an attempt to answer questions about "why we are here"; worship of deities and/or supernatural entities (including ancestors); conceptions of "holy" and "sacred" activities ideas and objects; set rituals, calendar events based on the changing seasons, distinctive dress codes (especially for religious professionals), codes of morality and action that are given a mandate from a supernaturally great being, from a supernatural force or from the will of the Universe itself; and, a caste of privileged and exalted professionals who have particular claims to be in touch with transcendental
Today, society guides the young generation to become materialistic, deprived of spiritual growth, and set on a communal course. However, our goal is to guide the youth in the opposite direction. Located in Sunrise Lakes, Yosemite, the National Institute of Transcendentalism is a private university based on transcendentalist ideals with a mission to develop society’s students into well-rounded individuals. At the Institute, students will learn the importance of self-reliance, individualism, and spirituality. Our purpose is to inspire students to question social reforms and achieve self-reliance with practical and theoretical learning.
Transcendental ideals are relevant to transcendentalists, but no longer valued in modern American life; transcendentalists are against materialism and hierarchies in society, whereas modern American life is built on hierarchies and the unremitting desire to acquire more and live a garish lifestyle. Transcendentalists live minimally, while most modern Americans strive to be successful and gain as much as possible. There is nothing wrong with pursuing success and wealth, but many transcendentalists see that type of lifestyle as monotonous and insignificant. Due to the hunt for prosperity and materials in modern America, transcendentalism is no longer relevant.
