Transcendentalism Essay - 1051 Words

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement created in the 1830’s by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the author of Nature and Self Reliance, which refuted the intellectual and spiritual culture at the time. Although the movement eventually succumbed to the winds of time, it did not die quietly and it can still be heard today. The list of famous transcendentalists of the time include Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Emily DIckinson, and many more poets and authors whose pen has weathered the test of time. These transcendentalists believed in the basic ideologies of transcendentalism; all living things are connected by an oversoul which allows the human mind to connection to nature and realize the truths of the universe. Essentially,†¦show more content†¦Equally important, is the fact that every single teacher conforms and follows this code. That is until Mr. Keating shows up. Throughout the movie, the teachings of Mr. Keating provide a fire for his students to embrace indivi dualism with his favorite saying, Carpe Diem. On top of this, Mr. Keating represents individualism himself as he disregards the school’s methodology to embrace his students and have fun while teaching. This essence of individualism is best illustrated with one of the first scenes with Mr. Keating where he goes over the introduction to a poetry textbook. After one of his students reads the introduction which includes a mundane explanation on how to rate poetry, Mr. Keating explains how you cannot rely on this explanation as the power of poetry comes from the person who is reading it. Subsequently, he has all of his students rip out this introduction which further embraces the individualism and free thinking that Emerson explained in his speech. This act by Mr. Keating was in direct violation of the school’s curriculum for poetry, but he still did it due to the fact that he thought otherwise. Ultimately, Mr. Keating embodies transcendentalism as he embraces individualism through his actions that go against the establishment in order to further his students understanding of individualism. Mr. Keating was notShow MoreRelatedEssay on Transcendentalism1619 Words   |  7 Pages Transcendentalism nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Many people have theories and philosophies about life in general. There have been hundreds of thousands of books published by many different people on the ideas of people in the past and the present. Transcendentalism falls in amongst all of these ideas. There have been articles, essays, poems, and even books written about this subject. Transcendentalism has effected many people since the philosophy was first introduced. 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