Example of Transcendentalism

Self-Reliance

Individualism

Thesis: "Box of Rain" By Grateful Dead is a clear representation of transcendentalism beliefs and ideals. These beliefs of Self-Reliance and Individualism are highlighted throughout the song.

"Box of Rain" By Grateful Dead
Look out of any window
Any morning, any evening, any day
Maybe the sun is shining
Birds are winging no
Rain is falling from a heavy sky,
What do you want me to do,
To do for you to see you through?

For this is all a dream we dreamed 
One afternoon long ago 
Walk out of any doorway
Feel your way, feel your way
Like the day before
Maybe you'll find direction
Around some corner
Where it's been waiting to meet you,
What do you want me to do,
To watch for you while you're sleeping?
Well please don't be surprised
When you find me dreaming too

1) Self-Reliance

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you is your private heart, is true for all men,- that is genius."(Emerson, 181)

What do you want me to do,

To do for you to see you through?

Both Emerson and the Grateful Dead are stating, no one can take power in controlling your own self beliefs and values. You can only rely on your own powers rather than others.

2)Self-Reliance 

"It has not the vitality and force of a single living man: for a single man can bend it to his will"(Thoreau, 212)

What do you want me to do,

To do for you to see you through?

No should take power in controlling your own self beliefs and values. Not even your self can command or speed up the process of finding... you.

3) Individualism

“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society.”(Emerson, 181)

Walk out of any doorway

Feel your way, feel your way

Like the day before

Maybe you'll find direction

Around some corner

Where it's been waiting to meet you,

Once in solitude you will find your self, you just start on any path and feel the way it takes you. It could be so close to you its just  around the corner.

Civil Disobedience

What is something worth civil disobedience? 

While I was reading "Civil Disobedience" by Thoreau I realized that there is many things worth civil disobedience. Civil disobedience by definition is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. This means that the people do not have to what the government tells them to do. 

Something worth civil disobedience? 

Equal rights. 

Equal rights seem to be a idea our world just can’t grasp. The Human race ranks themselves against each other based off my factors. Such as race, sex, sexual orientation, social class and the list can go on and on.Equal rights have been a large problem throughout all human history. Past issues and problems are having a comeback, and a big one is the racial issue. Accounts in Ferguson is a main example in today's world. The media has mixed up and confused the world, but we do know that the racial tension is rising. The civil rights movement in the 1950’s-1960’s did not completely dissolve the issue of racism. Old problems are still not solved but equal rights have been advancing greatly in pervasiveness. Violence is being used instead of the world coming together and discussing the issues that are present. The more they are ignored, the more destructive disobedience makes it’s comeback. 

Thoreau said,"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies." He is saying that the government expects everyone to comply with whatever they say and to agree with them. He believes that the government is corrupt. Peaceful forms of political protest will aid on the moment to gain mass.

Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau

What a cutie pie

Henry David Thoreau was a American transcendentalist of the same era as Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was a teacher, mentor and friend, Thoreau supported and followed Emerson transcendentalist ideas. He wrote poetry and essays his whole life which than became famous, the were inspired by those of Emerson. His most famous work included writings like "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience". Emerson believed that society blocks people from being individuals. He stated, "Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity."(Emerson) Emerson always preached about abandoning society and creating thoughts and beliefs for yourself alone in nature/solitude.  Thoreau was so inspired by Emerson he brought Thoreau's ideas to a new level. He inspired to a simple life, in 1845, Thoreau built himself a small cabin next to the Walden Pond. Packed up his necessities and moved into his cabin. On his vogue to find true solitude and transcendentalism, is when Thoreau wrote his more defining pieces of writing. "I went into 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 come to die, discover that I had not lived." (Thoreau)

Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Nature" and "Self Reliance"

Found Waldo

Ralph Waldo Emerson was the key player of  the American Transcendentalism philosophical movement  during the late 1820s and '30s. His ideas of Transcendentalism changed his era, his ideas and works were centered around four core concepts. Optimism, self reliance, intuition and individualism, theses four were also the big idea of Transcendentalism. To connect the four ideas I will use quotes from two of his popular essays. 

Nature

Self-Reliance

And

Self-Reliance

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you is your private heart, is true for all men,- that is genius."(Emerson, 181)-Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance means relying on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others. Once finding self-reliance you can unlock the true full potential with little to none limitations. The quote sates the same idea, you find your private heart you open up the full potential, if you mold conformity you lose this great power. Staying with your own thoughts, beliefs and values will lead you to this private heart.

Individualism

“To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society.”(Emerson)-Nature

Emerson is saying that imitating someone else or society is killing yourself. If you are not being who you are, might as well not be here at all. When you are a copy someone, you lose your identity. Emerson is elaborating on that fact, people need to take pride in our own individuality and every person was made to be different. It is completely pointless to be a duplicate of someone else.

Optimism

"he has not one chance, but a hundred chances"(Emerson)-Self-Reliance

Optimism is a tenancy to look at any side of events and look for the most favorable outcome. This quote greatly defines optimism. Rather that dwelling on the past mistakes, a lessons can be learned instead. Then building better upon this mistake. This shows optimism in making the best of every situation or event. 

Intuition

“The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.”(Emerson)-Nature

Intuition can mean the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. Trust their subconscious, 'sixth sense', gut feeling can all be related to intuition. In the quote i believe it can mean that adults can look at something and see it exactly as it is. A child can look at the same thing and see what it can be. In other words, children see more in things than adults do. So when the sun shine the child sees the sun and it truly it means something to them. When the sun shines on a adult it only makes the mans eyes illuminate, he doesn't think anything of it. The child is the intuitors. 

Transcendentalism Overview

What is Transcendentalism?

Transcendentalism can be defined in different ways,I look at it as looking beyond major consent and asking why. Going along our own thought processes and going against scientific evidence. Transcendentalism beliefs are destroyed by the corruption of society, in the mass amounts of corruption you loss the ideals of  Transcendentalism.  A great way to be in this state of mind is to go in to solitude, in solitude you can find the four main ideals to transcendentalism.

Beauty=solitude=Transcendentalism

Individualism        Optimism        Self-reliance       Intuition

To build upon my definition and highlight the main idea I have chosen a quote from a important American Transcendentalism, Thoreau. "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" (Thoreau). In his escape to nature Thoreau discovered things about who he is and the beauty of nature. The escape to nature will find your solitude and understand Individualism, Optimism, Self-reliance and Intuition. " If I had known how to name them, I should then have signed off in detail from all the societies which I never signed on to; but I did not know where to find the complete list" (Thoreau) Society pressures and encouraged to mold to conformity. Thus losing the main points of Transcendentalism. "I call all knowledge transcendental which is concerned, not with objects, but with our mode of knowing objects so far as this is possible a priori." (Kant) He expresses his beliefs about how how he thinks that the things that we know are based on what we are born knowing. These three genius used the basic building blocks of life to brake out of this social barrier and create a revolution in man kind.