- Be sure to practice and study the vocabulary unit 2.
- Chapters 1-3 of Into the Wild are due on Thursday. Be sure that you prepare the sticky notes as well.
- Please respond to the question below in the comment section. In addition to your response, be sure to comment on at least one classmate's response as well.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Block 1: Reminders and Homework for Thursday 3/17
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One of the main transcendentalistic beliefs regarding individuality was that everyone should find out what they like and enjoy doing on their own. You should not base you're opinions and beliefs off society. It is important to truely find yourself and understand who you are. Don't live in the past and live for now. One quote from the presentation was " to be great is to be misunderstood" and I think that is actually a really important belief that should be more widely understood. Being yourself is really important and also something i feel is lacking today in society.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with this. Our current society is full of conformity and individuality is not only hard to come by, but also hard to obtain. There is far too much pressure for people to conform today that it has become the social norm to do so. Anyone who speaks against the norm is either praised or rejected, there is no middle ground.
DeleteOne belief of the transcendentalists is about education. They believed that institutions are corrupt and that the education system itself isn't as it should be. They said "What does education do? It makes a straight-cut ditch out of a free, meandering brook.". This is something that I for one can agree with to a certain extent. While yes education is a necessary element of our lives a mandatory element that we need as students to be successful, I also believe that the way the system is presenting the knowledge to us isn't adequate. Personally I feel that we need to be more engaged. I find it extremely boring to sit and read out of a text book compared to having an active debate and stating opinions on a matter with the class. While many teachers do chose this route, not all do. Those select teachers make school extremely dull and lifeless. This takes away the individuality of students if all their learning is taught one way and they cannot challenge it or find it out on their own. While going out into nature isn't exactly realistic for many schools, the lessons shouldn't just be in black and white in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this to an extent. While it does take away the individuality of students, and we do need to be more engaged, there are better ways to go about it than just going out into nature. For certain classes, that simply isn't possible, and some people do learn best through textbooks. I think that schools need to work on altering classes to put certain students who learn in similar ways together, as opposed to just taking classes of people who all learn differently and attempting to teach them all in the same cookie cutter way.
DeleteI mostly agree with this that school should be more than just sitting in a classroom staring at a white board. What many people believe about school is that it is about trying to memorize everything they can for a test or exam just to forget it the next when it is no longer needed instead of actually becoming educated and furthering their knowledge in things they previously did not know. While not all classes can be about debates or opinion based teachings many classes can become more engaging with actual hands on activities to demonstrate concepts rather than just readings.
DeleteThe transcendentalists had a belief about individuality which was that we must recognize we are always changing. We must leave room for ourselves to change our minds and find the route we actually want to take, and recognize that even once we start down that route, we may change our minds again. A quote that goes with this is "To be great is to be misunderstood." This quote not only applies to other people in regards to ourselves and them not understanding, but also to ourselves and realizing we may never understand ourselves and what we want and that that's okay. Furthermore, they believed that we must be complex and everchanging to get the most out of life.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are always changing and we have to make room for the changes and new ideas to come to mind instead of them getting put into our head.
DeleteOne thing the Transcendentalists believed about spirituality and how to be 'successful' was to be true to yourself. Just having useless material goods for the sake of it does not make you successful nor does sitting through a boring church seminar every Sunday make you spiritual. They believed to achieve these things one must not entirely detach themselves from modern life but devote time to yourself and do what makes you happy. Due to the fast pace and business of our modern lives we can lose sight of what is really important to us and be lead astray by the rest of society.They believed that in order to truly discover oneself, people should immerse themselves in nature and escape from the big cities to experience the quiet and calming effects the natural environment has on us. They don't say completely cut yourself off from society and live isolated but take the time to appreciate nature and further discover yourself.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this because in one of the presentations it said that, "nature has all the answers to the world because it is the only thing not touched by technology." I think this quote does a great job of displaying the Transcendental belief that in order to find oneslf, they must immerse themselves in nature and experience everything it has to offer.
DeleteI also agree with what Ethan had to say here. In the quotes that my group had to analyze we found that one can find their spirituality through nature because nature is a creation that has been given to us through God. If one could just take some time to appreciate nature and connect with God, their life could be much more meaningful and happier. Once you figure out why you were put on this world you could begin to figure out how to be successful.
DeleteI agree eith this. In today's society it seems that to be viewed as successful you have to have some high paying job and a ton of material possessions. People are labeled by what they have rather than what they believe. Success can mean different things to different people.the same applies to spirituality. To some people, going to church may not be what makes them happiest. Going into nature to feel conected with with ones self may make them happiest. As viewed from a transcendental point of view, spirituality has more to do with your experiences in nature rather than anything else. You should always do what you feel is right in order to gain a higher sense of self.
DeleteOne thing the Transcendentalists believed that I thought was compelling and that could improve modern life was the belief that life should be as simple and pure as possible. This idea that life should only be lived with the essentials is really intriguing. The Transcendentalists believed that one would have everything they needed in life by living in nature and that any other material objects were unneccesary and a distraction. I think that if people today tried to live with as few material objects as possible, then life would be a lot more satisfying and stress free. You would be able to focus all your time and energy on only the important things in life such as nature and one's power of thought, just like the Transcendentalists believed. This isnt to say that one should totally cut off modern ways of life, because its inevitable for us to not change with the changing world.
ReplyDeleteI really like this, and I like how you said that with as little materials as possible, life would be a lot more satisfying and stress free. I think that it is very true because I think that being caught up in technology and everything that we put too much stress in our lives. Being in nature with no distractions is so stress-relieving because it completely clears our minds and causes us to pay attention to what is right in front of us, which ultimately is what really matters in life, we just get so caught up in technology that we can't see it.
DeleteI think one of the most important beliefs involves technology. Everyone is so caught up in technology that we forget what is right in front of us. We all want to be accepted by the rest of society, so we use social media like instagram, facebook, and snapchat to fantasize our lives in a way where it only shows the ups that we experience. The transcendentalists believe that a life without technology is ultimately better, because it forces us to stop paying attention to the materialistic things we turn our minds towards, but instead, we can pay attention to God's creation and what lies within us, because nature holds the answers to what it means to live a fulfilling life.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this and I also feel people need to take the time to see what is right in front of them. Nature and real life things are way more beautiful than a computer screen and everyone should focus less on technology and more on what is right Infront of them
DeleteOne Transcendentalist idea I found to be compelling was the idea that everything one needs to learn is available to them by nature. We often forget what is available to us because we are caught up in the materialistic creations which twist our brains into thinking that things such as technology are more of a necessity than the world before our eyes. Emerson and Thoreau often reminded us that the mind and nature are both of God's creations, and that it would be influential and helpful to take what our creator has given us, to make the most of these offerings. People are always becoming distracted and stressed out because of the very things, perhaps technology, that are distracting us from realizing the true beauty of nature and our lives. Our lives could be made so much better if we take a break and open our eyes for once to realize that God has put everything that life needs right before our eyes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that one can learn a lot from observation of the natural world, however there is an interesting contradiction to this within the Transcendentalists themselves. The majority of the Transcendentalists recognized the value of lectures and talks as a resource and a means of communicating ideas.
DeleteSomething I found very interesting that the transcendentalists believed was that everyone should learn from themselves. I found it really interesting because I think that's something that everyone should do. You should learn from yourself weather it's your own mistakes, learning what you like and what your interests are, the way of learning that's best for you or just the way to do things that's best for you. I think the transcendentalists had great ideas and some we could really use in society today
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. I think this can connect to the Transcendentalists ideas of both education and individuality. Since their thoughts are on education is that it should mostly be self taught, you learn from your own ideas and experiences. Also, this builds your character and defines you as an individual.
DeleteA transcendentalist idea that I found interesting was about individuality. The Transcendentalists firmly believed that you should be your own person, and shouldn't feel the need to conform to society and be like everybody else. It is important to have your own way of thinking, your own ideas, and have something that you love that defines you. All of these things build your character and who you are as a person. They are also how you stand out as an individual in society. The quote that perfectly describes this says, "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." It is saying no matter how much society and others might influence you to be a certain way, if you can still stay true to yourself, that is the greatest accomplishment of all.
ReplyDeleteOne transcendentalist belief that compelled me was the idea of learning for yourself through nature. Nature is God's creation, meaning that nature is the ideal way to connect with God and to not only learn about yourself, but to discover the world. Nature isn't touched by technology or any mankind and by taking time to discover it can clear your mind and be a way to discover yourself. Modern day children are always being told what to do and what to know. Trancendendalists would hate the idea of our schooling because we are being told what to know instead of getting out there and learning for ourselves. Modern day children need to go out in nature, taking a break from technology and other distractions, to discover the continuously changing world around us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this. This connects to my belief because we both talked about the lack of distractions of modern society in nature. Also we both talk about being an individual and learning from your own experiences.
DeleteI personally don't agree with the Transcendentalists' take on education. I do believe that focusing on things important to you in school is very beneficial, but the way to do that is not by venturing into nature. Especially in today's world, if anyone explored their spirituality for 5 years instead of graduating high school, they wouldn't be able to succeed. Even if some people go to school and hate math and science, they are still able to choose electives that relate to their interests. Then when you go to college, you choose and major and learn everything about what you love to do so that you can pursue it. When it comes to being an individual and learning, the Transcendentalists were not being realistic in what they wanted.
DeleteA Transcendentalist belief that I find most compelling was the individuality one has within itself. We don't really understand in this day and age that you can break apart from the path that everyone is on and live for yourself and not for the single fact of making others happy. I think it was very inspiring that they feel like it's a good thing to focus on yourself intead of the technology and the people surrouding you. Because if it isn' right for you, nobody said you had to do it.
ReplyDeleteOne transcendentalist belief that I find most compelling is that and individual is created the same way that nature is. This gives us the same wiring as that of our surroundings. This is why Thoureau is all for going to the woods to become more spiritually connected to god and his own spirituality. Also nature is a place where there are no distractions of modern day life. This goes with quote by thoureau say "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". The transcendentalists also believed that when you're in nature the experiences you encounter are the ones you should learn from, as opposed to learning from modern day schooling.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the transcendentalists' ideas to a certain extent, but I think the most interesting and possibly helpful is their idea of individuality. I think that today, and we talked about this in class, people base who they are off of what they look like on the outside. However, I don't by any means think that this is a bad thing. Obviously you can't get to know everyone so if you are able to show them who you are through your appearance, that's great. But I don't believe that that should define us. It's so easy, with the Internet and other technologies of today, to conform to society and become the people we want to be based on how they appear online. It's easy to simply Google fun things to do or to see someone doing something and live your life like them. I myself am a victim of that. However, like Emerson said, "to be great is to be misunderstood." If we those things it strips us of our individuality and makes us NOT misunderstood. I can't imagine how beneficial it would be if people started defining individuality as who they are inside and what they enjoy doing. This isn't to say you can't express yourself through fashion or anything, but really connecting with yourself is vital. Today, that can be hard, but it's still important.
ReplyDeleteOne important idea of Transcendentalism is Civil Disobedience, or bringing about societal change through non-violent means. I find this idea appealing because it accomplishes its goals efficiently and without fighting. This relates to us today because means like this prevent a large chunk of world conflict if all internal affairs were settled in this or similar ways.
ReplyDeleteSimplicity is one of the main ideas of Transcendentalism. Thoreau said, "Our life is fritted away by detail... Simplify, simplify, simplify! Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose." In modern times, our lives are cluttered and busy. While we strive for efficiency, we end up with chaos. We try to do too many things to quickly. We are growing impatient as time goes on and more greedy. In order to create a healthier life, we need to sort out what is most important and crucial to our lives. We need to rid of the stressful factors in our lives and not worry about things that aren't important to us. Such as other people's opinions or worries. Though simplicity means taking our time and going without, we will find that it boosts are mental and physical being.
ReplyDelete