Dead Poets Society Post

In the movie, The Dead Poets Society, transcendentalism is encouraged. However, the drawbacks that come with standing up for what you believe in are also exemplified. In the film an English teacher named John Keating is portrayed as a fairly successful transcendentalist who desperately wants his students to also become individuals. Their school, Welton is not a place where individualism is encouraged. At one point Professor Keating is giving a lesson in the school courtyard in which he urges the boys to walk to the beat of their own drum. During this lesson another teacher looks out of his window down at the lesson with a look of disapproval. Keating, however did not stop the lesson he continued on even though his unconventional methods eventually loss him his job. Keating made a big sacrifice for transcendentalism; however an even bigger sacrifice is made by Neil Perry.

Neil also took huge risks in the film. His father wanted him to focus on his studies and would not allow him to spend his time with frivolous activities like the school newspaper. Neil decided to disregard what his father said and follow his dream of being an actor. Although Neil got to act in the play once his father found out he took Neil home and told him that he would not be going back to Welton. His father’s refusal to let him follow his heart led to Neil committing suicide. He did not even want to live his life if he couldn’t follow his own beliefs. Whit nonconformity comes consequences some more severe than others. Although it is noble to stand of for what you believe in it very well might come at a cost too great to risk.    

Transcendentalism Shirt

Wearing a shirt that expressed my oddities on Monday was a positive experience. I got some interesting looks in the hallways, but I didn’t receive any ridicule. Some people stopped me and asked to read it. Most people laughed at the fact that I had written “ginger” on my shirt. The only questions that people asked were about my having written “tumblr”. Some asked what it was and one person even asked who it was. I also had someone ask, “Shouldn’t there be an e?” that made me laugh.

The only real challenge that came with wearing my custom-made shirt was keeping the letters on. About every 10 minutes I would have to super glue a letter or two back on. All in all, my transcendentalist shirt was a success. I enjoyed making it and was not ashamed at all to wear it to school; however, just doing this did not turn me into a transcendentalist. These shirts were only a small step in the right direction towards transcendentalism.   

Modern Day Transcendentalists

Nowadays you can’t even go to school without seeing a scandalous amount of skin. This problem is even more extreme on Halloween. Teenage girls use the holiday as an excuse to dress even more risqué than usual. This Halloween, however, two girls stood out by choosing to ignore this trend. Nicole Bade and Tara McClanaghan decided upon more conservative costumes. They went to a Halloween party dressed as Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from the children’s television show, SpongeBob SquarePants. Although this act might be seen by their peers as “childish” or “weird,” they made the decision to stand out and make a statement. 

When asked, Nicole Bade said, “Although Halloween is a holiday for kids, no matter how old you are you should still take advantage of the traditional opportunity to release your usually cooped-up inner child”. It’s a challenge to find true transcendentalists in this day and age, especially in high school. Standing out is not something that most people want to do in high school, but Nicole and Tara did not let the unpopularity of their choice stop them. When choosing how to dress, these girls did not take into consideration what others might think of them; they just went out and had a good time without any worries at all. The party consisted mostly of your typical run-of-the-mill Halloween costumes that are commonly seen at any given Halloween party. There were even doubles and triples of some costumes; but not of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy. Their costumes were a success and they plan to create another pair of original costumes next year. Despite the pressures of modern day society to conform the girls did what they believed to be right without letting anyone else influence their decisions and that is the mark of true transcendentalists.

Walden Essay

Modern advances have taken over every aspect of life. Although some people manage to block out some elements of the modern world, for most people that is not an option. In this day and age, avoiding technology is essentially impossible. For the vast majority of people, simplifying life is unimaginable because technological advancements are relied upon for work, school, and personal lives.

Giving up electronics is not only inconvenient, but in some cases not possible. Most jobs require at least a certain amount of technology. It is difficult to live a simple life if you are required to. Even during Thoreau’s life simplicity was fleeting. “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nut shell and mosquito’s wing that falls….” (Thoreau 493). Thoreau was right in saying that people need to take a step back from their lives and appreciate nature, however, giving up one’s life in the process is not a realistic option. In Thoreau’s time period being at one with nature was much more plausible, but nowadays it is a rare pleasure to be able to detach from the chaos of modern day life. Not only at work, but also at school simply unplugging and appreciating nature is not an option. For taking notes, doing research, or even online assignments modern advances are necessary.

Aside from requirements personal enjoyment is also a reason for a more chaotic life. Although some prefer simply detaching from modern society most do not consider that an option. Socially, modern advances have made communication much easier. Though Thoreau may have viewed social networks as unnecessary they have become helpful not just for meaningless transfers of information, but have allowed better communication worldwide. “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity…” (489). For Thoreau simplicity was an option because he did not rely upon modern advances for anything. In today’s world however, technology is essential to every part of everyday life.

      Simplicity is not possible in this day and age due to chaotic work, school, and personal lives. Though everyone should take time for nature it is unfair to ask people to completely abandon their lives for more simple ones. Lives, uncomplicated by technology may have been within reach during Thoreau’s life time, but they are not today.