Concord

The subject of an experiment cries out, “I can’t stand it. I’m not going to kill that man in there” (Milgram 120), as the experimenter compels his subject to administer deadly electrical shocks to another man. The subject clearly expresses his moral objections to these instructions, yet to influence his subject, the insistent experimenter does not lock the door, nor does he hold the subject at knifepoint- he only requests that the subject “Continue, please” (121). And so the subject continues.…

Wilderness in the Eyes of a Contemporary and Thoreau. (A comparison of the view of nature between Thoreau in his text, Walden and a person in today’s society.) People today seem to have many different views on nature and the purpose it serves us currently. Nature can be a place of horror and monsters, or a place of retreat, or simply something that exists. Widely, it appears that society now doesn’t have the appreciation of nature that was once held by our ancestors. Henry David Thoreau was one…

Nonconformity, “let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine."(Henry David Thoreau) what does it mean when he says that? Maybe he means that let your life be a good one, instead of a bad one. When reading “self-reliance” I personally thought it meant to reflect on the wrong choices you have made when you were younger and as you get older focus on the future and make better choices. But in Emerson’s story “self-reliance” he states that “To believe in your own thought, to believe that…

Chris McCandless was a young man who had a penchant for adventure and living unconventionally. Unlike most Americans, McCandless did not deem wealth, government, and other worldly concepts as vital components in life. Instead, McCandless lived an eccentric lifestyle; McCandless’ outlook on life relates to the views of modern transcendentalism. Transcendentalists are philosophers who believe in order to live a successful life one must live by challenging experience and not conforming to society.…

When you think of someone that is actually true to themselves, who is it? Ralph Waldo Emerson said “To be great is to be misunderstood.” When he wrote this I believe what he is trying to say that it is okay to be different and misunderstood, and that you should get out of your comfort zone and be different. Henry David Thoreau said ”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,…

I see myself in Walden because I have realized, upon reflection, that my conclusions from facing the meanness of life mirror Thoreau’s conclusions in Walden. In “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau explains his motives for the unorthodox move to Walden Pond. Thoreau went into the woods to “drive life into a corner”, “live deliberately” and “publish the whole and genuine meanness of it [life]” (74). With these goals in mind, Thoreau entered an environment with obstacles requiring him to…

Alaska is nearly twice the size of Texas, but only inhabited by less than 750,000 people, making it very hard for stranded and injured people to get help.Chris McCandless, a huge proponent of Henry David Thoreau, studied and believed he was living the transcendentalist life that Henry David Thoreau preached. McCandless drifted around the country subsiding by the transcendentalist ideals, making several stops along the way where he would generally make a profound impact with those life paths he…

Transcendentalism is a way of finding out who are, how to connect to yourself, and finding peace with in yourself. What's necessary,what you desire, and your nature. When you try and find your transcendentalism, is to take your own path to get there. The most common author that writes transcendentalism is Ralph Emerson. The writing he's most famous for is “Nature.” In that writing he mainly focuses on small details and tries to ignore real life. “In the woods, we return to reason and…

Throughout history, there have been individuals and forms of government lacking a moral conscience, and this will most likely continue to occur. Many argue that this is merely a facet of human nature - we, as human beings, are inherently greedy and corrupt. However, there are those who contrast sharply with this view, crying out against the wrongdoings of certain powers, pushing for change and reform. Henry David Thoreau is a prime example of these individuals. Using personification, forthright…

As one of the most well-known movies in America, does Dead Poet’s Society promote the controversial ideas of transcendentalism? Furthermore, should Mr. Keating’s advice be followed? While some may say the movie demotes transcendentalism based off of the characters’ rather unfortunate endings, the ideals of the movie prove otherwise. The movie follows the story of Mr. Keating, a teacher who imbues private school students with transcendentalist values, and because he is the main protagonist, the…