Transcendentalism in Modern Day Popular Culture Characteristic of Transcendentalism Quote or example Description Explanation/Analysis Free Thought “Come along follow me as I lead through the darkness As I provide just enough spark that we need to proceed Carry on, give me hope, give me strength Come with me and I won’t steer you wrong Put your faith and your trust as I guide us through the fog To the light at the end of the tunnel We gonna fight, we gonna charge, we gonna stomp, we gonna march Through the swamp, we gonna mosh through the marsh Take us right through the doors.
-Eminem, Mosh (See following pages for full lyrics) Mosh by Eminem is a vibrant song about how Eminem feels the need to step up and rebel against the government because of his strong disapproval of the war in Iraq. He goes on to talk about how fighting the war has demolished our patriotic values and how the government calling upon its citizens (mostly very young men) to fight the war is wrong. Eminem’s song Mosh shows free thought because it expresses an independent and original idea that goes against, and is not restrained by, the authority of the government.
Through the lyrics, he demonstrates his belief that the U. S. should not go to war with Iraq. Eminem is speaking out for people to follow him and to start his own rebellion. He is assertively defending himself to oppose a higher power in order to obtain his goal, which is what the theme of free thought it all about. This is similar to Henry David Thoreau’s views on free thought as portrayed in Walden. In lines 189 and 190 of Walden, Thoreau states “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears… This is similar to Eminem’s views in Mosh because they both promote the ideology of free thought. Importance of Nature DJ Khaled and his famous SnapChat stories. DJ Khaled is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and record label executive. DJ Khaled has recently become known to the everyday household due to his famous SnapChat stories.
A story on SnapChat is a typical short mix of videos and pictures open for the public to view for 24 hours before it gets deleted. DJ Khaled is known for his “Keys to success” and many other phases or jokes, such as “Another one. These are all found and recorded from his stories. Another very large part of DJ Khaled’s famous stories is his large garden of various plants and flowers. He can be seen watering his garden daily on his SnapChat story. DJ Khaled’s stories show the importance of nature through the depiction of his garden, and how close he holds it to himself. DJ Khaled shows the importance of his garden in many of his stories, in which he waters his garden and talks about the many ways it helps him. He says his garden is not only a simple garden but his connection to nature and a symbol of his great prestige.
He uses his garden to become one with nature and find peace within his busy life. DJ Khaled often makes comparisons to his garden; he calls his white flowers the angels, the larger plants the angel’s protector, and the red flowers represent the angel’s love and greatness. The garden helps restore and reflect his individual unique spirit and connect him with the world. This connects to the ideology of Ralph Waldo Emerson in Nature. Emerson also found peace and tranquility in nature similar to DJ Khaled. Nonconformity Eminem’s entry and success into the rap and hip-hop industry.
The famous rap and hip-hop artist, Eminem, shows nonconformity by being a white rapper in a predominately African-American industry and rising to success and fame against all odds. Eminem’s success shows nonconformity because he went against the social norms of the rap and hiphop industry by being white and trying to rap. Being white and attempting to enter a primarily African-American industry, he gained the disapproval of many. He chose to ignore what people told him, which consisted of, whites not being able to rap and that he should quit rapping.
Instead, he carried on to chase his dreams and rise to fame in the predominately AfricanAmerican industry. This connects to the nonconformist views of Ralph Waldo Emerson as depicted in Self-Reliance. These views consisted of the importance of nonconformity and hardships, such as the harsh opinions of others, that come along with the practice of nonconformity. This can be seen in line 31 of SelfReliance when Emerson states, “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure. ”
Self-Reliance “Look If you had One shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted In one moment Would you capture it Or just let it slip? -Eminem, Lose yourself (See following pages for full lyrics) In Eminem’s song, Lose Yourself, he is saying that people need to become self-reliant in order to take opportunities and be successful in life. Lose Yourself is about putting in hard work and seizing every single moment to become more successful. Eminem’s song, Lose Yourself, and more specifically, this quote, shows self-reliance because he presents a challenge to the listener to take any opportunity and that only you can do that yourself. The song states how it is important to seize the moment and put in hard work and effort to become successful because nobody will do it for you.
This stresses the importance of relying on yourself as well as being able to achieve more through your own intuition. This relates to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ideology within Self-Reliance. This is because both, Lose Yourself and Self-Reliance, are about the importance and need to be able to accomplish goals through your own intuition and instinct. Confidence “But you won’t take the sting out these words before I say ’em ‘Cause ain’t no way I’m a let you stop me from causin’ mayhem When I say I’m a do somethin’ I do it. – Eminem, Not Afraid (See following pages for full lyrics) In Eminem’s song, Not Afraid, he is saying that he is no longer afraid of standing up and that he is turning his life around. The song is about Eminem’s struggle with his past addictions and how he has won the battle and came out a stronger and better person. Not Afraid shows confidence because, through the lyrics, Eminem is showing his newfound courage and confidence in himself. Within the song, Eminem talks a lot about how he has changed, and how this new change has brought a new level of self assurance and appreciation of himself.
Eminem saying that he is no longer afraid to take a stand shows this newfound confidence and self assurance. He also shows his confidence by stepping forward and moving on in his career, this proves that he believes in himself and what he is doing. In the song, he also offers down a hand to anyone that was stuck in same place he was and does this by saying, “Come take my hand come We’ll walk this road together, through the storm Whatever weather, cold or warm Just letting you know that, you’re not alone.
This, again, shows his confidence in getting through rough times, no matter how bad it may seem. This connects to Henry David Thoreau’s idea of confidence as depicted in Walden. In lines 186 through 188 of Walden Thoreau stated, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ” This is almost exactly what Eminem is saying in this song and doing in his career. Self-Reliance (2) Michonne’s survival in The Walking Dead.
Michonne is a character played by Danai Gurira in the popular TV show, The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead is a show about the months and years that follow a zombie apocalypse and the story of a group of survivors and their struggles to find a safe and secure home. Michonne’s character has an interesting story, she was on her own for much of the time following the zombie apocalypse before finding and joining the rest of the group of survivors. Michonne’s character shows self-reliance because being on her own causes her to learn how to survive on only what she could provide herself.
She achieved much more than what she thought she could through her own intuition and instinct. Michonne was able to survive nearly a whole year using wits and intelligence, this proves that she relies only on herself and is able to discover a higher truth, resulting in her survival. This connects to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden because Michonne, similar to Thoreau, spends time alone, isolated and is able to achieve her goals based on her own intuition. Free thought (2) Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars saga. Anakin Skywalker is the once thought protagonist in the Star Wars saga.
He was initially introduced as the “chosen one” and the one to save the universe and the light from the dark side (the bad guys), but his character’s notion soon changed. As a result, instead of defeating the dark side and saving the universe, he joined the dark side and turned on what were once his allies and friends. Anakin Skywalker also had twins, a son and a daughter, while being a jedi. Jedi’s were saviors of the light, they fought the dark side, it also against jedi code to engage in a sexual relationship.
Anakin Skywalker’s character shows free thought because, by joining the dark side, he goes against the morals that he was raised by and the authorial figures that surround him. He was raised by his elders and the jedi order with morals and values of the jedi and the light. These values taught him that the dark side was evil and plotted to take over the universe, they also taught him a specific jedi code. Anakin went against these teachings and betrayed the jedi order. Anakin also engaged in a sexual relationship while being a jedi, which was strictly against the jedi code that he was raised with.
This proves that he thought freely for himself and did not let authority restrain his thoughts. This, similar to Eminem’s song, Mosh, also relates to Henry David Thoreau’s view of free thought as seen in Walden and the idea of stepping to the beat of your own drummer. Another piece of literature by Thoreau this relates to is Civil Disobedience. This is because both, Civil Disobedience and Anakin Skywalker’s story, are about opposing a higher power in order to obtain a goal based on your own beliefs of what is right and wrong.
