Transcendentalism Into the Wild Will you live Or

Transcendentalism Into the Wild Will you live? Or simply exist? The average human life consists of 28, 000 days. About 3, 500 of these days are spent in school, not including the weekends, or time spent on home studies. If you live to be 60, you will have spent 20 years of your life sleeping. And 8 years in the car. How much of that time do you actually spend looking out the window?

Definition of Transcendentalism • A journey away from the corruption of civilization and the limits of rational thought; a journey toward the integrity of nature and the freedom of the imagination.

Transcendentalism Characteristics • Individualism and Self reliance: They distrusted anyone claiming political, religious, or intellectual authority. They believed each person should trust his or her own intuition, and not have to ask advice or opinions of others. • Quest for the truth: understanding who YOU truly are, and becoming a better person.

• Simplicity—dislike material objects and excesswant minimum • Nonconformity– society encourages oppression of individuality but they believed all should practice nonconformity. Be an INDIVIDUAL and not follow the crowd. • Connection with nature: nature and humans are unified. We can learn about ourselves through being alone in nature.

Believed… • Believed everyone was born good and pure, unlike the previous Puritan beliefs that everyone was born evil. • Believed we all could better ourselves through nature • Science, logic, and rules mean nothing to intuition. • Absolute TRUTH can only come from within oneself– not from anyone else.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882) Mass. Founder of the group • Son of a minister (an ordained minister himself) • Graduate of Harvard (entered Harvard at 14 years old) • His wife’s, Ellen’s, death threw him into a spiritual crisis which caused him to question Christian tradition. • Often described as a stiff and formal person, dressed always in black, • Died of Pneumonia at age 78.

Henry David Thoreau • (1817 – 1862) Mass. • Teacher, joined club • Careful observer and deep thinker who tried to live by his own values and questioned authority and rules

Henry David Thoreau: Rebellion! As a Harvard student, the dress code required students to wear a black coat but Thoreau refused and wore a green one! In his first year of teaching, Thoreau refused to punish his students physically (corporal punishment) and resigned his position.

Walden Pond • Brother John dies, causing Thoreau to reevaluate life. • At age 28, Thoreau retreated to Walden Pond to live simply and frugally in a small cabin for 2 years and 2 months– famous social experiment. Wrote Walden. • He built the cabin himself on $28. 12 on Emerson’s land.

Cost of Materials for Thoreau’s Cabin • • • Boards: $8. 03 1/2, mostly shanty shingles for roof and sides: $4. 00 Laths: $1. 25 Two second-hand windows with glass: $2. 43 One thousand old bricks: $4. 00 Two casts of lime: $2. 40. Hair: $0. 31. More than I needed Mantle-tree iron: $0. 15 Nails: $3. 90 Hinges and screws: $0. 14 Latch: $0. 10 Chalk: $0. 01 Transportation: $1. 40. I carried a good part on my back.

The Beginning of the End • Thoreau wrote daily about his experiences in nature– recorded EVERYTHING he saw. • After 2 years and 2 months, Thoreau returned to civilization. • Attempted to publish Walden; however, few people even cared. • For the next 9 years, he tried to publish and supported himself by making pencils and surveying land. • Thoreau isolated himself and did not come out in public, and three years later he died of Tuberculosis in 1862 at age 44. His last words were, “Moose” and “Indian. ”

Inspired by Thoreau

Into the Wild and Chris Mc. Candless • Chris Mc. Candless shunned his reason, his wealthy upbringing, his education. Just packed up one day and left for isolation! • Mc. Candless wanted a more natural, transcendent life like Thoreau and Emerson. They were idols. • Mc. Candless lived in nature like Thoreau, rejected government, formed his own “truth”.

Into the Wild • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l-t 0 e. Q 6 BPC 8 • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=g. Zy 2 Hz. NZ 5 MI • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=a. C 3 KTk. L 9_Sw • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l. QSa. Zk 62 B-o