“Green River” by Creedence Clearwater Revival alludes to the reverence of nature included in Transcendentalism. The song mentions various outdoor activities that the singer enjoys, from skipping rocks to midnight walks, and the lyric “Let me remember things I love,” expresses the passion the author has for these nature-centered activities. This excitement about nature is discussed in Emerson’s “Nature”, in which he says “The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood,” (Emerson 693). This quote presents the popular Transcendentalist philosophy that adults tend to only see nature but children truly enjoy nature, so everyone
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The equation of thinking to living reflects the Transcendentalist ideal that each man must think for himself and not blindly follow what society dictates. The lyric also connects to a quote from Thoreau’s “Walden”, in which he writes, “To be awake is to be alive,” (Thoreau 770). In “Walden”, Thoreau implies that morning is a time of renewal and reformation, and that to truly be alive, man must be aware of his situation and not just accept society as it is. The Twenty-One Pilots lyric supports this principle by concluding that man must reflect on life in order to actually live. The line “I ponder of something great” also correlates to Transcendentalist theory with the reference to contemplating about more than just daily struggles. Transcendentalism calls for rethinking the constructs that shape society, which is reflecting in “Walden”. Thoreau states, “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn,” (Thoreau 770). The reawakening mentioned in the quote does not actually reference waking from sleep, but rather realizing the limitations placed on mankind by society. This suggestion that humans must spend more time thinking about the greater issues is exactly the idea referenced in “Car
The equation of thinking to living reflects the Transcendentalist ideal that each man must think for himself and not blindly follow what society dictates. The lyric also connects to a quote from Thoreau’s “Walden”, in which he writes, “To be awake is to be alive,” (Thoreau 770). In “Walden”, Thoreau implies that morning is a time of renewal and reformation, and that to truly be alive, man must be aware of his situation and not just accept society as it is. The Twenty-One Pilots lyric supports this principle by concluding that man must reflect on life in order to actually live. The line “I ponder of something great” also correlates to Transcendentalist theory with the reference to contemplating about more than just daily struggles. Transcendentalism calls for rethinking the constructs that shape society, which is reflecting in “Walden”. Thoreau states, “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn,” (Thoreau 770). The reawakening mentioned in the quote does not actually reference waking from sleep, but rather realizing the limitations placed on mankind by society. This suggestion that humans must spend more time thinking about the greater issues is exactly the idea referenced in “Car