The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to enable students to become skilled readers and writers in diverse genres and modes of composition. As stated in the Advanced Placement Course Description, the purpose of the Language and Composition course is “to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write papers of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers” (The College Board, May 2007, May 2008, p.6).
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Introductions to your Transcendentalism paper POST HERE!!!!
What happens after you die? Why were we born in the first place? What is the meaning of life? People have been asking these questions since the beginning of time and have spent their entire lives trying to answer them. The question, however, is were they ever able to answer them? There have been many different religions and cultures who have tried to answer these questions throughout history but everyone seems to have a different answer. During the 20th and 21st century there has been a decrease in traditional organized religions such as christianity. People are starting to think more for themselves and not believe in something just because the church tells them to. This has led to an increase in self-satisfying beliefs such as transcendentalism. People tend to follow these beliefs because they are focused on the individual and help them discover who they are.
Transcendentalism in Popular Culture Self Reliance “The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance.
From the moment of our birth we examine the world through singular eyes. As time moves on, our progressions as humans cause us to become adapted to society’s natural values and beliefs. This happens to almost anyone, unknowingly.
Being an Aerial Artist is all about trusting yourself and learning to let go, literally. When hanging fifteen feet in the air holding tight onto a silk fabric, you are finally faced with the decision of letting yourself go and drop. There is always a possibility of falling out of a drop, but over time you learn to trust your instincts and let go of the fabric. You’re then flying, and feel so free. Sometimes you do fall or things don’t go as planned, but that is what aerial arts are all about. The art is all about experimentation, trust, and being yourself. These characteristics relate to the movement of Transcendentalism, which was developed in the 1830’s.
Transcendentalism and The Decline In the Importance of Making Connections in the Modern Day
In our society today, the process of making connections does not hold a top spot on the widespread list of priorities. Whether the connections are with Nature, other people, or within the person the amount of passion and effort put into them has decreased greatly since the times of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau.
Despite the ecological and social complexity of our lives, the education and societal roles and adventure that stage themselves between the life and death of the modern man, it is in our nature to relax. From the first animal complex and strong enough to need to conserve energy and be able to, the art of leisure hasn’t really changed over thousands of years. Whether it’s basking in the sun or basking in your dreams or basking in the dim glow of a TV screen we need to rest our muscles and brains just like our human and evolutionary ancestors –
Transcendentalism was one of the most important literary and social movements to take place in the mid-1800's in the United States. Its bright and innovative spirit, coupled with some of the era's most gifted poets and writers, led to a burst of radical thinking and ideologies in the community that surrounded the movement. Although the movement was refreshingly new at the time, it had various roots in many existing practices such as pacifism, ecology, minimalism, and most importantly individualism. Despite the fact that the movement took place more than a 150 years ago, many of its aspects are still utilized in culture and society today. In fact one of the most directly similar movements of the past fifty years is the Do-It-Yourself, D.I.Y. movement.
With each new generation come new ideals. As one generation’s problems and questions gain more answers, new conflicts arise for the next generation. In America’s earlier years, specifically the mid-1800s, Transcendentalist writers had worries and conflicts as the world slowly became industrialized, many people felt overwhelmed as they seemed to become insignificant in society and wanted to become more individualistic, more connected with nature, and live a simpler life. Even now people experience similar feelings. As technologies like nano-machines, robotics, and the internet grow, many people feel smaller, or threatened, and want to live more simply.
Transcendentalism & Sustainable Living in the 21st Century
In this modern world of materialism and over-consumption there remains a select few natural purists who strive to embody the lifestyle of sustainable living; reducing one's use of natural and personal resources and leading a minimalist life. Sustainable living embodies the ideals of self-reliance and connectivity to nature, similar to the ideas presented in Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance".
Individuality, self-reliance, oneness with nature, and nonconformity are all aspects of American Transcendentalism. Great philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Abraham Maslow and Ralph Waldo Emerson were advocates of transcendentalism, who promoted and contributed to this divine intellectual movement. They defined elements of uniqueness and freedom from social constraints, such principles can still be seen in society today. Lady Gaga, can be seen as the prime example of modern transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism and the Sustainability Movement In 1845 Henry David Thoreau moved to Walden pond, built himself a cabin, and lived there for about two years. It was there that he meditated on spiritual discovery and society while attempting a life of self-sufficiency, simplicity, and self-reliance. In 1854 Thoreau published Walden, a fictionalized narrative of his life during that time. In his book Thoreau echoed his fellow Transcendentalist writer Ralph Waldo Emerson who had written an essay entitled “Nature” in 1836. Both men stressed the importance of the relationship between humans and their environment. It is this same idea that guides modern sustainability. The movement extends the importance of nature to humans to the idea that it is the essence of human survival. With this train of thought comes the acceptance that for humans to continue to live in Transcendental harmony with their environment they must limit their impact on nature.
When defining the 21st century, the first word that comes to mind is "technology." This generation of human life has been characterized by the rapid expansion of technology sweeping across the earth and becoming more and more embedded in daily life. However, people today have become so overwhelmed by the constant presence of technology that they are blind to to its effects. Transcendentalism is a movement based on self-sufficiency, non-conformity, and reflection on one's inner self and its relationship with nature. This movement was fueled by the works of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, and gained significant momentum in the 1800s. Unfortunately, the Transcendentalist movement has regressed in the face of modern technology in the 21st century, an age where people have lost sight of themselves and the nature of the world around them in the blinding light of a computer screen.
“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” (A quote from Walden gotta find the page numbers ). People are constantly searching for a larger purpose; to be more and do more instead channeling the inner “Song of Themselves”. Transcendentalist thinkers like Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman celebrate the idea of individualism and true self-reliance to the point where it becomes contradictory. How can a person be so certainty of their physical necessities, yet yearn for emotional independence? How can a person with so much self awareness and actualization be filled with so much doubt? Certainly these questions are answered by true Transcendentalists but their writings lack expression of emotional sustainability.
Transcendentalism and the Poet as the Ideal Human Intro is very likely to change What is the ideal human? Is such a thing even possible? Throughout a great deal of philosophy the concept of an ideal person is extremely prominent, with many thinkers of various eras theorizing on what such a person would be if they existed. With figures ranging from Nietzsche’s Übermensch to the biblical Jesus, the concept of an ideal human embraces many different possibilities. The existence of such a quintessential being is heavily shown throughout the works of the Transcendentalist thinkers, notably in writings by Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both of these writers stand behind the notion that the poet is the ideal human, one that everyone else should aspire to become. Throughout their work they repeatedly explain how the poet has achieved a transcendent nature, going above and beyond the normal limitations of humankind and entering into a whole other realm of knowledge, one that they believe is important to all time periods.
Those involved in the world of tattooing have long been victims of stereotypes and disparagement, but to the people who embrace this beautiful art form it is seen as a source of expression and individualism. A tattoo is a permanent, life long reminder of something in your life, something about yourself. The Transcendentalist movement was one of free thinkers, nonconformists and those lived to the beat of their own drum. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were leaders of this movement and helped introduced the idea to branch out from the conformist society, and that the most important thing to do in life is to defend your own thinkings. Tattooing is an art focused around expressing your religious beliefs and personal interests in a way that is still today heavily frown upon, but is supported by ideas branching from the Transcendentalist movement.
During the mid nineteenth century, thinkers known as the transcendentalist dedicated their lives to complying grand manifestos on how to fill up the space between birth and death. In his book, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman instructed humankind to “re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul”. Contrary to Whitman’s statement, since the beginning of existence, humans have clung on desperately to the teachings of institutions. Humans are hungry for the spoon of religion and education that feeds them easy truths to pacify the lurking fear or purposeless life and unavoidable mortality. Whitman urges humans to abandon their instinct to seek out this soothing propaganda and immerse themselves head first into the uncertainties of life. Whitman suggests that this is not only the only way to reach true self actualization, but the only proper way to live. Henry David Thoreau takes an even more radical stance in his views on what a true transcendentalist lifestyle should look like. Thoreau believed that humans had become disconnected from nature in the wake of the industrial revolution, so he moved to the woods and lived in seclusion in a one bedroom cabin. While these ideas about how to live simply and embrace oneself and everything around you as godlike are beautiful and meaningful in their sentiment, there are certain impracticalities, even impossibilities, to the way of life that is preached by transcendentalist thinkers such as Whitman and Thoreau. In the modern world most people live in extremely capitalist societies, where they have to work to provide money for food and shelter and have deeply routed pre established notions of cultural and religious traditions that would not be easily abandoned. Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau lived in a world where, because of their race, gender and social status, they were able to immerse themselves in a transcendentalist lifestyle more effectively than a common, modern day person would be able to. While a less privileged person has to focus on providing for the basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter), a more privileged person is able to bypass these primitive worries to focus on embodying more spiritually and emotionally enriching elements of human existence. Embodying the ideals of transcendentalism, something a less privileged person would view the mantra of transcendentalism as an impossible luxury, is a very realistic probability for a person of a higher socioeconomic stance in society. These factors make transcendentalism an unrealizable utopia in twenty first century society.
Unitarian Universalism is an eclectic group of thoughts and beliefs that has grown from Transcendentalism and similar beliefs. Both UUism and Transcendentalism have influenced radical thinkers and authors, as well as everyday people in the modern day. Unitarians may have transcendentalist views, but they also incorporate their spiritual views. The open minded nature of many UU's is similar to the new age thinking of Transcendentalists, both groups are dedicated to working for equal rights and social justice causes.
The constant human struggle to find self-meaning and an individual voice in a busy and ever growing society has been the focus for countless hours of thought throughout generations. The narrator in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club is struggling to find his place in society and his relationship with those around him through a very primal release of his emotions and feelings on the consumerist society that is pressuring him in almost every aspect of his life. The fight against yourself and society to find your spiritual meaning and importance in life is a deep seeded struggle throughout the minds of countless thinkers from history.
What happens after you die? Why were we born in the first place? What is the meaning of life? People have been asking these questions since the beginning of time and have spent their entire lives trying to answer them. The question, however, is were they ever able to answer them? There have been many different religions and cultures who have tried to answer these questions throughout history but everyone seems to have a different answer. During the 20th and 21st century there has been a decrease in traditional organized religions such as christianity. People are starting to think more for themselves and not believe in something just because the church tells them to. This has led to an increase in self-satisfying beliefs such as transcendentalism. People tend to follow these beliefs because they are focused on the individual and help them discover who they are.
ReplyDeletePeople did not exist at the beginning of time.
DeleteTranscendentalism in Popular Culture
ReplyDeleteSelf Reliance
“The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance.
From the moment of our birth we examine the world through singular eyes. As time moves on, our progressions as humans cause us to become adapted to society’s natural values and beliefs. This happens to almost anyone, unknowingly.
ReplyDeleteBeing an Aerial Artist is all about trusting yourself and learning to let go, literally. When hanging fifteen feet in the air holding tight onto a silk fabric, you are finally faced with the decision of letting yourself go and drop. There is always a possibility of falling out of a drop, but over time you learn to trust your instincts and let go of the fabric. You’re then flying, and feel so free. Sometimes you do fall or things don’t go as planned, but that is what aerial arts are all about. The art is all about experimentation, trust, and being yourself. These characteristics relate to the movement of Transcendentalism, which was developed in the 1830’s.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism and cirqu du soleil
DeleteGET IT BOO
DeleteTranscendentalism and The Decline In the Importance of Making Connections in the Modern Day
ReplyDeleteIn our society today, the process of making connections does not hold a top spot on the widespread list of priorities. Whether the connections are with Nature, other people, or within the person the amount of passion and effort put into them has decreased greatly since the times of Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau.
Despite the ecological and social complexity of our lives, the education and societal roles and adventure that stage themselves between the life and death of the modern man, it is in our nature to relax. From the first animal complex and strong enough to need to conserve energy and be able to, the art of leisure hasn’t really changed over thousands of years. Whether it’s basking in the sun or basking in your dreams or basking in the dim glow of a TV screen we need to rest our muscles and brains just like our human and evolutionary ancestors –
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism was one of the most important literary and social movements to take place in the mid-1800's in the United States. Its bright and innovative spirit, coupled with some of the era's most gifted poets and writers, led to a burst of radical thinking and ideologies in the community that surrounded the movement. Although the movement was refreshingly new at the time, it had various roots in many existing practices such as pacifism, ecology, minimalism, and most importantly individualism. Despite the fact that the movement took place more than a 150 years ago, many of its aspects are still utilized in culture and society today. In fact one of the most directly similar movements of the past fifty years is the Do-It-Yourself, D.I.Y. movement.
ReplyDeleteWith each new generation come new ideals. As one generation’s problems and questions gain more answers, new conflicts arise for the next generation. In America’s earlier years, specifically the mid-1800s, Transcendentalist writers had worries and conflicts as the world slowly became industrialized, many people felt overwhelmed as they seemed to become insignificant in society and wanted to become more individualistic, more connected with nature, and live a simpler life. Even now people experience similar feelings. As technologies like nano-machines, robotics, and the internet grow, many people feel smaller, or threatened, and want to live more simply.
ReplyDeleteI don't. Quit generalizing me. Kill all the trees.
DeleteTranscendentalism & Sustainable Living in the 21st Century
ReplyDeleteIn this modern world of materialism and over-consumption there remains a select few natural purists who strive to embody the lifestyle of sustainable living; reducing one's use of natural and personal resources and leading a minimalist life. Sustainable living embodies the ideals of self-reliance and connectivity to nature, similar to the ideas presented in Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self-Reliance".
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou know, brain activity is the firing of electric impulses by NEURONS. SCIENCE.
DeleteShe knows, it's been pointed out.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalism & Lady Gaga
ReplyDeleteIndividuality, self-reliance, oneness with nature, and nonconformity are all aspects of American Transcendentalism. Great philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Abraham Maslow and Ralph Waldo Emerson were advocates of transcendentalism, who promoted and contributed to this divine intellectual movement. They defined elements of uniqueness and freedom from social constraints, such principles can still be seen in society today. Lady Gaga, can be seen as the prime example of modern transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism and the Sustainability Movement
ReplyDeleteIn 1845 Henry David Thoreau moved to Walden pond, built himself a cabin, and lived there for about two years. It was there that he meditated on spiritual discovery and society while attempting a life of self-sufficiency, simplicity, and self-reliance. In 1854 Thoreau published Walden, a fictionalized narrative of his life during that time. In his book Thoreau echoed his fellow Transcendentalist writer Ralph Waldo Emerson who had written an essay entitled “Nature” in 1836. Both men stressed the importance of the relationship between humans and their environment. It is this same idea that guides modern sustainability. The movement extends the importance of nature to humans to the idea that it is the essence of human survival. With this train of thought comes the acceptance that for humans to continue to live in Transcendental harmony with their environment they must limit their impact on nature.
Transcendentalism in today's Age of Technology
ReplyDeleteWhen defining the 21st century, the first word that comes to mind is "technology." This generation of human life has been characterized by the rapid expansion of technology sweeping across the earth and becoming more and more embedded in daily life. However, people today have become so overwhelmed by the constant presence of technology that they are blind to to its effects. Transcendentalism is a movement based on self-sufficiency, non-conformity, and reflection on one's inner self and its relationship with nature. This movement was fueled by the works of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, and gained significant momentum in the 1800s. Unfortunately, the Transcendentalist movement has regressed in the face of modern technology in the 21st century, an age where people have lost sight of themselves and the nature of the world around them in the blinding light of a computer screen.
Scratch that word "regressed." That's not exactly what I meant.... I shall find a better word.
DeleteTranscendentalism and Emotional Minimalism
ReplyDelete“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” (A quote from Walden gotta find the page numbers ). People are constantly searching for a larger purpose; to be more and do more instead channeling the inner “Song of Themselves”. Transcendentalist thinkers like Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman celebrate the idea of individualism and true self-reliance to the point where it becomes contradictory. How can a person be so certainty of their physical necessities, yet yearn for emotional independence? How can a person with so much self awareness and actualization be filled with so much doubt? Certainly these questions are answered by true Transcendentalists but their writings lack expression of emotional sustainability.
Dude WHAT. What's your thesis? is it chicken nuggets? Unclear!
DeleteTranscendentalism and the Poet as the Ideal Human
ReplyDeleteIntro is very likely to change
What is the ideal human? Is such a thing even possible? Throughout a great deal of philosophy the concept of an ideal person is extremely prominent, with many thinkers of various eras theorizing on what such a person would be if they existed. With figures ranging from Nietzsche’s Übermensch to the biblical Jesus, the concept of an ideal human embraces many different possibilities. The existence of such a quintessential being is heavily shown throughout the works of the Transcendentalist thinkers, notably in writings by Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both of these writers stand behind the notion that the poet is the ideal human, one that everyone else should aspire to become. Throughout their work they repeatedly explain how the poet has achieved a transcendent nature, going above and beyond the normal limitations of humankind and entering into a whole other realm of knowledge, one that they believe is important to all time periods.
Those involved in the world of tattooing have long been victims of stereotypes and disparagement, but to the people who embrace this beautiful art form it is seen as a source of expression and individualism. A tattoo is a permanent, life long reminder of something in your life, something about yourself. The Transcendentalist movement was one of free thinkers, nonconformists and those lived to the beat of their own drum. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were leaders of this movement and helped introduced the idea to branch out from the conformist society, and that the most important thing to do in life is to defend your own thinkings. Tattooing is an art focused around expressing your religious beliefs and personal interests in a way that is still today heavily frown upon, but is supported by ideas branching from the Transcendentalist movement.
ReplyDeleteTranscendentalist Ideas in Relation to the Art of Tattooing
Deletekillin em
DeleteDuring the mid nineteenth century, thinkers known as the transcendentalist dedicated their lives to complying grand manifestos on how to fill up the space between birth and death. In his book, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman instructed humankind to “re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul”. Contrary to Whitman’s statement, since the beginning of existence, humans have clung on desperately to the teachings of institutions. Humans are hungry for the spoon of religion and education that feeds them easy truths to pacify the lurking fear or purposeless life and unavoidable mortality. Whitman urges humans to abandon their instinct to seek out this soothing propaganda and immerse themselves head first into the uncertainties of life. Whitman suggests that this is not only the only way to reach true self actualization, but the only proper way to live. Henry David Thoreau takes an even more radical stance in his views on what a true transcendentalist lifestyle should look like. Thoreau believed that humans had become disconnected from nature in the wake of the industrial revolution, so he moved to the woods and lived in seclusion in a one bedroom cabin. While these ideas about how to live simply and embrace oneself and everything around you as godlike are beautiful and meaningful in their sentiment, there are certain impracticalities, even impossibilities, to the way of life that is preached by transcendentalist thinkers such as Whitman and Thoreau. In the modern world most people live in extremely capitalist societies, where they have to work to provide money for food and shelter and have deeply routed pre established notions of cultural and religious traditions that would not be easily abandoned. Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau lived in a world where, because of their race, gender and social status, they were able to immerse themselves in a transcendentalist lifestyle more effectively than a common, modern day person would be able to. While a less privileged person has to focus on providing for the basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter), a more privileged person is able to bypass these primitive worries to focus on embodying more spiritually and emotionally enriching elements of human existence. Embodying the ideals of transcendentalism, something a less privileged person would view the mantra of transcendentalism as an impossible luxury, is a very realistic probability for a person of a higher socioeconomic stance in society. These factors make transcendentalism an unrealizable utopia in twenty first century society.
ReplyDelete^first woman president.
DeleteTranscendentalism and UU's:
ReplyDeleteUnitarian Universalism is an eclectic group of thoughts and beliefs that has grown from Transcendentalism and similar beliefs. Both UUism and Transcendentalism have influenced radical thinkers and authors, as well as everyday people in the modern day. Unitarians may have transcendentalist views, but they also incorporate their spiritual views. The open minded nature of many UU's is similar to the new age thinking of Transcendentalists, both groups are dedicated to working for equal rights and social justice causes.
The constant human struggle to find self-meaning and an individual voice in a busy and ever growing society has been the focus for countless hours of thought throughout generations. The narrator in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club is struggling to find his place in society and his relationship with those around him through a very primal release of his emotions and feelings on the consumerist society that is pressuring him in almost every aspect of his life. The fight against yourself and society to find your spiritual meaning and importance in life is a deep seeded struggle throughout the minds of countless thinkers from history.
ReplyDeleteRelationship between Transcendentalism and Fight Club
Delete