Transcendentalism In Movies Essay - 535 Words

Perhaps one of the most meaningful maxims Emerson wrote would have to be quot;Insist on yourself, never imitate.quot; This statement captures the total essence of transcendentalism; deny the will and aspirations of others, and follow your own heart.The movie Dead Poets Society begins by introducing the viewers to Todd Anderson, a very subdued and quiet young man. Todd has the average inferiority complex. He is a very bright young man with exceptional abilities. Todd is unwilling to speak his mind for fear of non-acceptance. Charles Dalton is a seemingly average student with a rebellious attitude. He has already realized that the students are being quot;brainwashedquot; into living a preordained life. Neil Perry is another young man†¦show more content†¦He wants Neil to be doctor. In an emotionally charged scene, Neil finds that he doesnt want to cope with a life that doesnt involve acting, and he takes his own life.In the movie Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams plays a psychiatrist giving therapy to a character played by Matt Damon. Damons character, Will, is a math genius who has severe social problems stemming from a traumatic childhood. Will knows his gift, but is afraid to use it. He has finally found a peaceful life with his friends. He has a steady job, and life isnt great, but it is livable. Will is afraid of risking security and chancing failure. Wills friend, played by real life friend Ben Affleck, helps him choose between risking his security and stepping out of his comfort zone and living a life where he can barely get by. Will realizes that the benefits outweigh the negatives, and chooses to take a job at a huge accounting firm.In the movie Patch Adams, Robin Williams plays a doctor with a keen perception of humanity. He focuses on the plight of people who cant afford medical care. Throughout medical school and all of his private practice, patch is ridiculed and mistreated for his beliefs and his unorthodox means of treatment. Even through all this turmoil, Patch never succumbs to the wishes of others. He is always himself. Individuality is quite possibly the most important thing to him aside from the well-being of his patients.All of the illustrated characters had a secureShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream754 Words   |  4 Pagescharacters in movies are young, good-looking and well-off, all of those qualities all go h and-in-hand.† People don’t want to look like themselves which, goes against Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism wants people to accept themselves for the way that they are. People often get a surgery done to look better because they are insecure about the way they look. They don’t believe that they are good enough or feel independent because they are always trying to improve themselves. Transcendentalism is aboutRead MoreTranscendentalism and Nature796 Words   |  4 PagesTranscendentalism Today Though there are many basic premises of transcendentalism, being close to nature seems to be the most practiced still today, yet people never notice the amount of influence of this particular principle. Everyone has a little transcendentalism in him or her, but even those people are wondering how that is even possible. Look at the movies children watch, songs people listen to, and stories that are read. Transcendentalists are so much more influential than they ever couldRead MoreSimilarities Between Pop Culture And Transcendentalism855 Words   |  4 PagesSimilarity Between Transcendentalism and Modern Pop Culture Even though there is about one hundred and eighty years apart from the year transcendentalism started to the year two thousand seventeen, we can still see many similarities, and some notable differences between these two era. Transcendentalism movement is a philosophical movement that happen in between 1820s to 1830s in the United States. The movement started with Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous philosopher and writer. The main tenets of theRead MoreThe Roots Of Transcendentalism And The United States1481 Words   |  6 Pagescontributors to the ideas of this period were Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau. The roots of Transcendentalism can be traced back to the early 19th century to a religious movement called Unitarianism. This movement rejected that man’s knowledge came primarily through the sense and instead believed the internal, spiritual principles were the basis for man’s understanding of the world. Even though the period of Transcendentalism emerged in the 1830s, it is surprising to know the main ideas of this movement canRead MoreConcord Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesFeatures of Transcendentalism in Avatar Transcendentalism is an American philosophy started in the 1800’s, which is still part of modern culture today. Transcendentalism was developed by Immanuel Kant, and was based on the idea that, in order to comprehend the nature of reality, it must first be observed and explored using the method of reasoning. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were fundamental figures in Transcendentalism. Using the ideas of these figures many movies, music, televisionRead MoreHuman Nature Vs Transcendentalism883 Words   |  4 Pagesearth, no phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes, ultimate freedom, an extremist, an aesthetic voyager. Whose home is the road. No longer to be poisoned by civilization. He flees, and walks alone upon the land of to become, lost in the wild.† Transcendentalism, emphasizing human nature, truth, simplicity, comfort and the importance of comfort, emphasizing human intuition, people only by virtue of spiritual intuition to achieve the best living conditions. The Transcendentalists place an emphasis onRead MoreThe Five Is of of Transcendentalism in the Modern Day1187 Words   |  5 Pagesdrug/alcohol reference or transcendentalism. No matter where there is music, there is a lesson to be learned through ideas that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau created. Though transcendentalism is a relatively foreign word to most, it can be defined by using five is: individualism, inspiration, intuition, idealism and imagination which are displayed on all platforms of music today. The different music genres may vary between music from the late 1990s and childrens movies today. The constantlyRead MoreIntegrating Transcendental Concepts into Life Essay examples835 Words   |  4 Pages But the one school of thought that is especially relevant today is transcendentalism. Transcendentalism principles are mostly known through art created by american (and many other) writers, such as Thoreau, Emerson, or through movies, like the Dead Poet Society. The idea of self - reliance, disconnection from the society and importance of the spiritual over material are values humanity should take away from transcendentalism and adopt within a modern day. Modern society is at the most pervertedRead MoreTranscendentalism : Human Senses And Intuition1758 Words   |  8 Pages Transcendentalism: Introduction: Transcendentalism evolves around three main points: human senses/intuition, nature, and God, humanity, and nature united. One of the main points I will be talking about, is human senses/intuition. The reason I have chosen this point, is because there’s so much to learn about it. The other points are just as important, but this one speaks out more to me. Why? It speaks out to me, because people may not realize how important they are. Human senses are used in everydayRead MoreEssay about The Nonviolent Rebel: Martin Luther King Jr.601 Words   |  3 Pagescommon with the younger generations as most of what they see on the television and in movies is violence and governmental infiltration through violence. A large number of these children, adolescents, and young adults will never realize there is an alternative way of protest other than violence. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. found that way from the inspiration of Henry David Thoreau and his ways of transcendentalism. Though Dr. King had a larger number of followers his basic approach was the same as