On the 26th of February, I composed a small experiment so as to assess the validity of Transcendentalist Thoreau’s statements about nature and experience the force of nature as he did. Primarily, I would focus on the validity of an ideal depiction of nature and the effects of nature on human thought and feelings. The following is an excerpt of my observations and findings:
A soft wind chills my spine as I enter the woods, sparse and grey. The drooping branches grab loosely at me, like zombies pulling me into their pitiful graves. Fallen twigs, colourless and dreadfully bland, are strewn about the squishy, muddy ground, crunching as I continue from step to step. The wind picks up the pace as it rushes to its midnight duty, stirring a family of leaves from their state of repose, generating a faint rustle. Tall trees border my
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It has truly been a long time since I have looked into nature; schoolwork and projects have taken a toll on me. In the woods, I can finally recognize that the complexities of society have been distracting me from the fundamentals of life. I seem to have forgotten about basic pleasures of life, like taking a walk or relaxing outside. It reminds me that I am a natural being-- a human. As Thoreau stated in support of a simple, nature life: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say let your affairs be two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand ...keep your accounts on your thumbnail” (“Walden”). I realize the accuracy in this statement after being introduced to nature once again; the complications and anxiety of society are quite unnecessary. Living a simple life in harmony with nature would allow the soul to truly rest in peace, because it relieves one of the burden of societal expectations. By simplifying life, one can target certain goals to achieve and make the most out of the short time we are all given on
However, it's far no accident that Dillard, Abbey, Berry, and Lopez have produced their works in the course of or just after the surge of environmental cognizance which came about in the course of the Sixties and Seventies. These writers, despite the fact that they may be elusive, nondirective, or even anti-ideological are hardly ever as neutral as Thoreau. They will hedge in their pronouncement of why they and their readers ought to be more aware, but their advocacy of heightened attentiveness is difficult to
Dylan Farr Mrs. Russ 12-14-22 Into The Wild Transcendentalism Essay The story of Chris McCandless, a nomadic traveler, was a charismatic tragedy because of the way he polarized the world with his tale. He grew up with a family that he couldn’t wait to get out of and get away from, and when he did he started his journey throughout the United States. He traveled from coast to coast, making an indent in the minds of anyone who met him.
After reading Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Henry David Thoreau’s exerts from Walden, we can see a deep connection between Christopher McCandless and Thoreau’s transcendental beliefs. Both Chris McCandless and Thoreau show transcendentalism in their actions of self-wisdom, differences, and liberation. Chris McCandless life choices in Into the wild reflect the transcendental beliefs of Thoreau’s Walden. The first transcendental belief of McCandless is that he marches to the beat of a different drummer.
Thoreau had the ability to isolate himself whenever he wished. He urges us to do the same. Thoreau’s philosophy may seem great, but it poses many threats in jeopardizing communities. For example, it could negatively impact economies.
Many people who go into nature always see it as something beautiful and aesthetic, but they never see the other side to nature. Humankind’s connection with nature isn’t a real one. They always look at the bright side of nature but are blind to the true dark side of nature. JB MacKinnon’s article “False Idyll” (2012), reveals that nature is not just flowers in a field but can also be the survival of the fittest. He backs up his claim by talking about nature through anecdotes and expert’s research.
When Thoreau mentions that many philosopher import the woods to themselves, it must be for a reason. The woods and nature are needed in life, or human life may perish without
(20-21) and refutes that “now even that visual connection is optional” (21-22). His concession and refutation further proves that even though the time spent by most of society may be limited, it is still valuable because of the apparent disengagement of man from nature. Consequently, the separation of man from nature has resulted in the loss or reduction of any connection with nature. The mutual relationship between man and nature has evolved from a contract to a sad reality.
Henry David Thoreau was a transcendentalist of the 19th century with very simplistic beliefs. He wanted the people to rethink their own lives in a creative way and to always be questioning. In all, he wanted them to always be searching for a greater meaning in life. "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. "
In the quote I gathered that Emerson was trying to emphasize that nature has the ability to generate happiness, just like a human being can. Nature can be just a charmful as an average man. This quote most definitely illustrates how there is strong but covert connection among man and nature. Nature, by essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson is an insightful paper that successfully utilizes the personification of nature to accentuate the connection of it to a human.
In the essay Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the author believes that nature is a wonderful being, it is to be revered, and that nature is better than most people. Emerson conveys this attitude through the use of figurative language, comparing, and contrasting. Mainly, Emerson uses personification to represent nature as a living, breathing thing that is wiser than many humans. In addition, Emerson uses comparisons to show that only wise men know not to show a mean appearance, but this is a concept that nature easily grasps. Finally, Emerson uses contrasting to show that children can connect to nature easier than adults due to their simplistic outlook on life.
In Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, the author expresses the immense longing that we, as human beings, need to give up our connection to our ever-growing materialism in order to revert back to self-sufficient happiness. In Walden, the reader is able to infer that Thoreau feels as if we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions, as well as believes that the study of nature should replace and oppose our enslavement, and that we are to “open new channels of thought” by turning our eyes inward and studying ourselves. Thoreau feels that we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions. As stated in the chapter “In the Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau states that “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.” (972).
Henry David Thoreau is one of the primary promoters of the transcendentalist movement and has been inspiring people to take on the transcendentalist lifestyle ever since the mid 1800’s. Mccandless was an admirer of Henry’s philosophy but he wasn’t as fully immersed in his work and ideals as Thoreau was to his own. His intentions were not as closely aligned to the movement as Thoreau’s and the difference between these icons are clearly visible. Self reliance is one of the most significant components of the transcendentalism movement that Henry David Thoreau contributed to in his literary career. “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.” - (taken from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”).
Transcendentalist writers were focused on the belief of the divinity of the individual soul, the inner voice, (Crawford, Kern & Needleman, 1961) to overcome social stereotypes and to avoid conformity. It is highlighted the importance to return to nature to enhance the quality of humans beings by living simply since being apart of common social rules is the only way to be in communion with nature’s wisdom. Those transcendental characteristics could be seen in Emerson’s ¨self-reliance¨ or Thoreau’s ¨Walden ¨ bearing in mind that although, Emerson’s ¨Self-reliance¨ adheres more descriptive examples to illustrate metaphors and Thoreau’s ¨Where I lived and what I lived for¨ introduces metaphors creating much more imagery, both make a critique of the modern individual using
Nature is easily projected onto, as it allows for a sense of peacefulness and escapism. Due to its ability to evoke an emotional reaction from the masses, many writers have glorified it through various methods, including describing its endless beauty and utilizing it as a symbol for spirituality. Along with authors, artists also show great respect and admiration for nature through paintings of grandiose landscapes. These tributes disseminate a fixed interpretation of the natural world, one full of meaning and other worldly connections. In “Against Nature,” Joyce Carol Oates strips away this guise given to the environment and replaces it with a harsher reality.
The song “Island In the Sun” by Weezer talks about the importance of escaping society to get back in touch with yourself, connecting with nature, and finding your happiness. While living in the woods at Walden Pond, Thoreau justifies his decision to live there by saying: “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” (17). This quote perfectly sums up the message of the song, and connects the two main themes of spending time in nature and escaping society to bring out independent