Contemporary Example of Transcendentalism

      The movie Monsters University portrays the four main concepts of transcendentalism: individualism, self reliance, ,optimism, intuition, throughout the characters and scenes. 

One of the main characters, Mike Wazowski, shows the traits individualism by being different than the rest of the monsters expected to be in the scaring career as he is less intimidating and has a less formidable appearance, but he still attempts to work his way into the job, like during a conversation between Wazowski and Sullivan discussing Wazowki's chances or success. Wazowski says "My chances are just as good as yours." reinforcing that he can be just as good as any of the scary monsters.

Mike Wazowski also demonstrates self reliance because he motivates as trust himself to get his work done and achieve his goal. He says "I've been waiting for this my whole life! I'm going to be a scarer!". He shows his faith and confidence for himself, showing his evident self reliance

Optimism is showed in the movie, specifically during the scenes that involve the fraternity houses are competing against one another, because the Oozma Kappa team believes that they can win any of the challenges if they put in their effort despite the fact that everyone believes that they will fail miserably. The team's optimism is clearly shown between this discussion between Wazowski and another character named Squishy. Wazowski tells him "Squishy, we're not gonna lose because we have everything we need to win right here.".

The transcendentalist idea of intuition is represented in Monsters University because Mike Wazoski goes with his gut feeling to try to make something of himself, and when he believes that his team can achieve what they want.

"Civil Disobedience" Thoreau

        A modern situation in which civil disobedience is worth is gender equality around the world. As Thoreau wrote "I do not hear of men being forced to live this way or that by masses of men" (Thoreau 214) meaning that people should not have to live a certain way do to another part of the population, like the woman living under the circumstances of men in certain parts around the world due to the fact that they are females. Thoreau writes about how the more physically strong and have had previous access to the most power have more control, rather than the belief of whether is something right or wrong, which applies to gender inequality in the world. He says"After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority permitted, and for a long period continue, is not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are the psychically strongest." (Thoreau 213). This quote applies to gender inequality because men have dominated over people for thousands of years, giving them the experience of more power than woman that is still apparent to this day in places around the world. Gender inequality is worth civil disobedience because equal rights to anyone of any gender should be enforced, thus the people need to think independently and not to have the thoughts of what is expected in the social world, the majority.

Thoreau

      In Walden, Thoreau talks about how he went into the woods to escape and learn for himself. As Emerson had mentioned in some of his texts, escaping into nature is a way to escape societal influences and its teachings, allowing one to leave their mind unlimited and to reach its full extent. Thoreau then leaves into a forest where he seeks to live a lifestyle temporarily as he does not want to grow to accustomed to him and fall into regular patterns like society as shown in the quote "I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life....".(Thoreau 204) He lives in a small structure in the woods, where he realizes he falls into a conformity, paths of where he walks and what he does, thus making him want to leave nature to achieve a more fresh view on the world and a way of thinking. He founds a battle between ants over food and realized the similarity between the two ants and humans and ways that they can interact with each other for similar reasons as humans. He realizes the simplicity of life is a great achievement that other organisms have achieved, and he thinks that humans should do so too to have little to know influence in their actions and thoughts.

Emerson

Nature
In Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature,he tells of his experience in nature. He says "In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets and villages.".(Emerson 181)  Nature is a major concept in transcendentalist belief. It is believed that humans reach out of the conformity that society shapes people to be like since there are no societal influences in the wild.

Optimism
Emerson refers to the idea of optimism, another transcendentalist idea. He says "There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,-no disgrace, no calamity ( leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair". (Emerson 181) The idea that one can see the brighter sides of situations is a major idea in transcendentalism. The quote shows how nothing can interfere with his personal positive view of life.

Self Reliance
Ralph Emerson's Self Reliance, he tells of the transcendentalist idea of self reliance. He says "A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages.". (Emerson 183) The idea of self reliance, a big idea in transcendentalism, is that people should depend on their own thinking and knowledge to decide what is possible. The quote also shows how what is commonly taught should not be depended on, and people should learn what they believe is true.

Individualism
The idea of individualism is present in Nature. Emerson claims "What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think.".(Emerson 184) Individualism is shown in this quote as Emerson explains that he will do what he wants to do, not involving anyone else and their influence in his actions. The idea of individualism in transcendentalism is to have people get away from societal influences and to think and act for themselves for what they want to do.

Intuition
The transcendentalist idea of intuition is mentioned in Emerson's writing. In it, he writes "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron sting.". (Emerson 184)The quote demonstrates the idea of intuition by claiming that everyone has their own judgement on which they can depend on because everyone has their own sense of morality to make decisions. Intuition is the concept that people have their own feelings of what is right and wrong.

Transcedentalism Overview

         Transcendentalism is is a ideological movement where believers sought to escape societal influences to think for themselves in different ways, and also to seek unlimited thinking by unlearning what was previously learned so that one's thinking is not restricted. Individualism, on of the main ideas of transcendentalism, is shown in the quote "I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterwards." (Thoreau 213) because it shows the idea of how people should be people before they are objects to the government and the confines of society. The transcendentalist idea of intuition is shown in the quote in Thoreau's Civil Disobedience. He says "The only obligation which I have right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right.". (Thoreau 213)The quote shows intuition because he claims that he will do what he thinks is morally right from what he believes. The idea of self reliance is present in Nature. Emerson says " The power which resides in him is in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, and nor does he do until he has tried.".(Emerson 184) Self reliance is shown as that one needs personal experience to make judgments of their own to trust their own thoughts. The other main transcendentalist idea, optimism, is represented in Civil Disobedience as Thoreau shows his optimistic view in being detained. He says "I saw that, if there was a wall of stone between me and my townsmen, there was a still more difficult one to climb or break through, before they could get to be as free as I was." (Thoreau 214) Thoreau shows optimism in his writing by viewing being a jail cell as a positive situation as he is not have to be surrounded by societal influences as he is more confined to solitude and little communication.