Transcending by SOPHIA TAN https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb en-us 2023-10-04 16:43:25 UTC 2023-10-23 06:59:24 UTC hello@padlet.com 1E. "Self Reliance" https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748163641 The Transcendentalists believed in the importance of individualism, which is why the sign that reads "imitate" leads to a literal dead end; imitation is suicide.  ]]> 2023-10-16 05:04:42 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748163641 1A. Walden - "Where I lived and What I lived for" https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748169891 In Walden, Thoreau censured the American public for its dehumanizing attitude toward railroad workers, whose size and identities are diminished relative to the imposing train in the image.]]> 2023-10-16 05:09:30 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748169891 1B. "Walking" https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170318 Salvador Dali strolling around Paris with his anteater despite the gawking public is a powerful example of the Transcendental values of individualism and savoring the journey, even if he is walking through a concrete jungle instead of a natural one. ]]> 2023-10-16 05:09:50 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170318 1C. "Nature" https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170539 The Transcendentalists believed that as one engulfs themselves in the dark realism and responsibilities of adulthood, they become inextricably adhered to the "traditional establishment" and lose their playful appreciation of life, a playfulness which the child in the image happily demonstrates.]]> 2023-10-16 05:10:00 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170539 1D. "Beauty" https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170882 Justin Vernon secluded himself, transcendentalist-style, in his Wisconsin cabin for months to record a heartbreakingly beautiful piece of art (the album, "For Emma, Forever Ago") to commemorate a beauty whom he loved.]]> 2023-10-16 05:10:14 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748170882 2A. “O Me! O Life!” https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748186274 Whitman's piece was overwhelmingly pessimistic at the beginning but made me feel triumphant and hopeful with its last two lines. I immediately thought of my freshman year of high school, when I was fresh out of a year of living as a Zoom hermit. That year, I landed my first solo, the Vivaldi Cello Concerto in C Major. The powerful play truly goes on, and I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute my verse. ]]> 2023-10-16 05:21:32 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748186274 2B. Dead Poet’s Society https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748190984 "We're not talking artists, George, we're talking free-thinkers." 

-Mr. Keating]]> 2023-10-16 05:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748190984 3. Declaration of Self https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748202080 One night at dinner, I told my father that I missed him especially that day. And as I watched him choke down his rice between stuffy nasally inhales and pretend to blow his nose twice (failing to inconspicuously wipe his tears), I realized that emotional vulnerability is a rarity in my family. Throughout my teenage years, I have watched the vestiges of macho, chauvinist China evaporate from my father’s spirit. I vowed that night to consistently express my love to those dear to me through words and actions. I will be the first person in my family to call things what they are.

]]> 2023-10-16 05:35:03 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748202080 4. Poem: Next Stop... https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748219394 And so I came to the famous divergence,
it was not yellow or tall
all just gray and trampled
divided by mere tufts that escaped the bald.

Two roads diverged on a blueish abyss
and sorry I couldn't travel both.
I am not even an explorer 
just a rube foreign to growth.

Two raindrops fight for the first land–
that is how the sky speaks to me,
how it echos my whispered wonder
marcato, hugging harshly.

I peek forward and groan
because the two are mostly the same.
And by the time the sun sets,
I’ll forget from which I came.

Two roads taunt me with a blank ultimatum 
when for most of the journey I could only float.
So arbitrary is every choice
when only Fate knows the next note.

]]> 2023-10-16 05:51:36 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748219394 5. Modern Example: "To Make Use of Water" by Safia Elhillo https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748236284 Safia Elhillo is a Sudanese-American poet whose fluid lyricism and allusions to Arab culture (as represented above) in her poem "To Make Use of Water" demonstrates the Transcendental tenets of rejecting tradition, seeking the truth, and returning to nature. ]]> 2023-10-16 06:05:58 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748236284 6. #likerealpeopledo https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748250418 Parents, dog-parents, and observers are all real people; Transcendentalism defines nature as the great intersection where all people can be their true selves. ]]> 2023-10-16 06:17:52 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748250418 7A. Bonding at Lake Murray https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748253565 Like Thoreau, I am selective about my company when I explore nature, which is why I tend to only go on walks with my parents (my father took this picture). ]]> 2023-10-16 06:20:21 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748253565 7B. Lalalalalax https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748260002 I like to listen to music while playing lacrosse alone because it is a muscle-memory activity that allows me time to reflect upon and diffuse my frustrations, similar to how the Transcendentalists went on walks to think and reflect. ]]> 2023-10-16 06:25:56 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748260002 7C. Grinding Gnar https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748267072 It is a common misconception that experienced surfers are elitists, as the meaningful conversations I have had with fellow surfers at Old Man's validate the Transcendental tenet of the inherent goodness of mankind. ]]> 2023-10-16 06:31:29 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748267072 8. Challenges to Living Transcendentally https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748268564 The modern Sisyphus is the average 9-5 worker, whose professional obligations stunt their intellectual and creative potential in the same way the working class of the Transcendental era was held back by their careers. ]]> 2023-10-16 06:32:45 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748268564 9. Essay: Professor Nature https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748270668 The tranquil, mysterious cycles of nature fill its observers with awe and assurance so that they may freely tinker with the workings of their intellects. Only souls that are spiritually fulfilled can answer society's humanitarian needs and contribute to its intellectual enrichment.

-"Every soul echoes its own unique purpose, culminating in an ethereal symphony that captures the intangible yet clear essence of the universe. However, time has adulterated this universal harmony." (1)
-"A moral breeze tempers their contemplations. It carries the legacies of the greats, and a perennial scent that propels humanity towards a single great future." (5)]]> 2023-10-16 06:34:36 UTC https://padlet.com/365383_/92d2j49gunpbwtmb/wish/2748270668