Individualism is when a person has achieved non-conformity, self-reliance, free-thought, confidence, and finding one’s self through nature. Although individualism can be achieved in society it can not be fully achieved until one removes himself from society. Chris McCandless did exactly that; he removed himself from society by back packing and hitch hiking throughout the United States to test and achieve individualism. McCandless’s last great adventure was to Alaska to fully obtain individualism, unfortunately, on his last adventure he died trying to find his spiritual belonging and individualism. Many people would think it was absurd that Chris left his family and threw his life away, and they would think that he was not justified in leaving …show more content…
In a search for non-conformity ideals, Christopher McCandless used Henry David Thoreau’s transcendentalist ideologies, he drew from Thoreau’s book Civil Disobedience, explaining the importance of non-conformity. Thoreau conveys non-conformity cannot be achieved as the government is influencing the people and restricting them from discerning for themselves between fact and fiction. In the following excerpt Thoreau states, “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men, but as machines, with their bodies” (3). This quote can be related to how men are perceived as machines unable to think for themselves, solely relying on the government to make decisions for them. Moreover, Thoreau shows society constricts non-conformity from occurring through the use of propaganda. Initially Chris was a machine being controlled by societal norms due to his familial standing and wealth. Chris made the decision to seek out a non-conformist lifestyle, due to the dishonesty and abusiveness he endured within the family dynamic. According to Ralph Waldo Emmerson, self-reliance is necessary in achieving independence. Emerson states “…envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide”. This quote reflects that …show more content…
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the author of Self-Reliance, articulates how self-reliance is hard to obtain when being oppressed, and when everyone relies on government or hierarchy to fix complications for them. To express and show the oppression of society Emerson states, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members”. Our manhood is used to be our identity and how we take matters into our own hands, but “society in conspiracy against the manhood” is society taking away our identity and self-reliance. With society taking away our identity it will then be tougher to gain self-reliance, which allows leaving society an easier way to gain self-reliance without being oppressed. Chris was oppressed to grow up the same way his father did and get an education, but instead of being oppressed and being reliant on his father, Chris decided to be reliant on himself, and the only way he could do this was by leaving society and his family behind. Krakauer wrote about Chris McCandless journey and how in his journey he tried to gain individualism. In Chris’s adventure, as told in the novel Into the Wild Chris decides to change his name to sever the ties of reliance to his old life and way. Chris states, “No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he is now
In some ways, Chris McCandless of Krakauer’s Into the Wild, acts as the epitome of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideals within his essay “Self-Reliance.” McCandless, who has grown into quite a celebrity, abandoned his family’s bourgeois values and sought to discover the terrain of his soul through an Alaskan Odyssey. Only months later, a moose hunter stumbled upon his corpse within a bus. Critics often chalk his death up as a warning to young adolescents looking for adventure, while the aforementioned adolescents idolize his journey. Despite the harsh denunciations and hero-worship, McCandless acted simply as his own person by disregarding society’s views and looking for his own thoughts in solitude, thus embodying Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.”
Through isolation, Chris helped to reinvent himself with ideas that are important to him such as
As Ralph Waldo Emerson, a philosopher who helped lead the transcendental movement, said in his essay Self Reliance, ““...the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plate, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought.” This quote embodies transcendentalism and describes the necessity to be your own person. Chris McCandless is an independent man whose ideology is based off of transcendentalism, but he takes it to an extreme degree to which he believes in. Most people who are tired of society would not take off and live in the wild, but Chris believed in his ideas and stuck to his gut. Another famous transcendentalist is Henry David Thoreau.
Kayla Sassaman Professor Benedict Hughes ENG 112 2 October 2017 Individuality & Community Individuality is what shapes who you are as a human being and who you are as a human being along with those around you make up the kind of community you are a part of. Communities are made up of the various kinds of personalities, cultures, and beliefs of the people within it. As a young adult who is trying to find their way in the world, it can be hard to understand the importance of a person’s individuality and how it correlates to the community itself. Without even realizing it people tend to conform to society and what society thinks as a whole is normal but what these people need to understand is that this world would not be the amazingly cultural place it is today without individuality.
Is it possible to go on with life today without looking at a phone, computer or tv? Faces are only lit up by the brightness of a phone and connection. A social life is a necessary part of every teenagers day, no playing outside with a ball and being called in at night to have a family dinner. No, minds are focused on unrealistic expectations of a perfect life and someone who enjoys a walk in the park or going to mass on a Sunday is not an outcast or labeled as a ‘hipster’. Taking a step back from technology, people and the busy lives gives you a sense of peace and serenity only to be achieved by living a common day transcendentalist life.
On August 18, 1992, Chris McCandless passed away at the age of 24, while deep in the Alaskan wilderness. The wealthy graduate of Emory University is believed by some to be one of the youngest transcendentalists of all time. He traveled to various places, but his main destination was the Alaskan frontier, where he aspired to live simply off the land. Chris lived a simple life, where he did not depend so much on material goods or society. McCandless did have a bright future as he came from a very financially stable family.
Chris grew up in society having everything paid for by his parents. They paid for his college, offered to buy him a new car, and wanted to pay for his graduate school. Chris believed in the idea of transcendentalism, and that in order to have innate goodness one should not conform to society. Although Emerson did not go off and journey into the woods like Chris did, he still stayed true to his own ideas. In “Self Reliance,” Emerson “advocates for individuals to trust in their own instincts and ideas, rather than blindly following the opinions of society and its institutions.”
Throughout the story of Chris Mccandless, the author Jon Krakauer is able to illustrate many fundamental life lessons through showing Mccandless’ journey into the wild as well as his abrupt separation from society. The purpose behind telling the story of Chris Mccandless is to show how his journey into the wild was caused by the controlling nature of his parents. Due to this Mccandless adopted a unpredictable lifestyle, bouncing from town to town searching for the freedom that he was always denied as a child. This everlasting desire for individuality is also what would lead to Chris’ death on the Stampede Trail.
Individualism is “a political and social philosophy that places high value on the freedom of the individual”(Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 2003,295).In a board sense, it can be an act, a belief and a doctrine that focuses on individuals in fields like politics, economics and culture. The notion of individualism occurred early in the ancient Greek civilization, but a complete theory was not coined until the modern times. Through years of development, it becomes a typical Western value that has been thought to distinguish Western society from other societies. Among the West, America has been regarded as a defining example that stresses individualism as its core value (Deng 2005).
Despite the constant controversy in our everyday lives, Emerson believes it shouldn’t stop us from living a life that makes us happy. In “Self-Reliance” Emerson’s goal is to get us to ignore the voices who try to change who we really are, and embrace the inner voices that represent
In the famous essay Civil Disobedience by Henry Thoreau , there is a multitude of famous quotes. One that has been recognized is “ The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies.”. When first reading this quote it seems as if he is saying that most men do things with no cause or reason. Well he is,Thoreau is criticizing the general population who follows the government or any group blindly without thinking or evaluating. As intuition and being true to oneself are of the utmost importance to Transcendentalists, being a “machine” is extremely undesirable.
Individualism, a controversial topic in present-day society has been an issue regarding how one should be able to express oneself. Jacobus expresses that individualizing oneself is a selfish pursuit and by maintaining mind and spirit, it 'll keep society on a balanced track. While individualism is important to each person, it is claimed by Jacobus that it is problematic for society. Today in the twenty-first century, society has taken a toll on conformity where many stand up for what they believe in, but to some people, this action of publicly individualizing one 's thoughts is a selfish one. Individualism creates hope among the various conflicting pressures faced in present-day society, because if everyone followed the socially accepted
3.1) Power distance index Power distance index refers inequality in the society and which is accepted by a people of the society. the power in the society is divided unequally. The country who has high point in power distance it indicate that country has high amount unequal distribution of power and they follow leader’s power. People follows the system without any interruptions(3,5,). Empowerment helps to motivate with expectancy and reinforcement dynamics(6) 3.2) Individualism versus collectivism
STRUCTURE (INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM) This refers to the organizational structure which allows management to distinguish uncertain situations, ambiguity, stress and risk. Individualism is mostly seen in the cultures of Western Europe and North America, while collectivism is mostly seen in the cultures of Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe. For example, people who grew up in the United States are seen to be individualists, motivated by what is good for them personally, and independent and self-reliant.
“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson produces a definitive statement of the idea of individualism. Throughout the essay, Emerson follows the major theme of individualism in not only personal, but also societal and religious aspects of one’s life. These ideas may have come to Emerson’s mind because he is a transcendentalist. Transcendentalists believe in the power of independence and knowledge. The passage above captures this theme of individualism and supports the transcendentalist tone for the entire essay.