Transcendentalist

Are You a Transcendentalist?

                 There are many complexities that go along with the idea of transcendentalism, and knowing whether you are a transcendentalist or not can be quite challenging. Because of this, I am not sure if I am a transcendentalist or not. I believe in some aspects of transcendentalist thought, but I also have different opinions as well.

                In Emerson’s text, “Self-Reliance”, I found many ideas that I agree with. The one that stands out to me the most is, “Trust thyself.” He says that we can only be dependent upon our own selves, and no one else. I have always believed that because you can’t betray yourself, but other can easily betray you, and that leaves you with one solution of trusting yourself.  Another idea that I strongly agreed with in Emerson’s text was his thought that we have to be our own person; we can’t pretend to be someone else. I felt this stood out when he said, “If we live truly, we shall see truly.”

                Although I find myself confused on whether I am a transcendentalist because there are some parts that I don’t necessarily agree with. The one that stands out to me the most is trying to find the inner-God that lives inside of every single one of us. I can understand how God and the divine were important during this time period, but it isn’t as much today, and that’s where I struggle. I’ve never had connection with trying to find this inner divine, and so I don’t know if I agree that we need to find it. Maybe this isn’t as complex as I am making it, but this part of transcendentalism makes me wonder if I am truly a transcendentalist and that’s why I remain unsure.

Declarition of Independence from McFarland High School

When in the course of growing into adult, it becomes necessary for one to attend the long days of high school, and to assume, that as each year drags on, a decent respect must be maintained to those who are putting forth their time and efforts as for Hickeykind requires each to do so, and that the seniors should declare the causes which impel their urge of separation from the school.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Students and staff are created equal, that they are endowed by Hickey with certain unalienable rights, that among these are teach, learn, and respect. That, to ensure that these three aspects remain constant throughout the four years of attendance, but in the midst of these is the last two quarters of senior year and out of all due respect High school and seniors no longer intertwine, leaving with only one solution, separation. To prove this, let facts be submitted to the candid world.

                It leaves us with tests that no longer matter.

                It treats us like we are still five.

                It doesn’t allow us to use the computer labs on our own.

                It blocks all internet activities, even music.

                It makes us live life by bells.

                It makes us take classes we have no interest in.

                It makes us complete a portfolio, something that is pointless.

                It gives everyone a consequence when only one person messed up.

                It only acknowledges things that it wants to.

                It allows for the principal to miss the Class of 2012’s graduation.

                It makes us stay at school during lunch.

                It makes all students who have ER to remain in school at all times.

                It gives out detentions to seniors who don’t care anymore and will continue to be

                late no mater how many detention slips are handed out.           

                It makes us wake up before 7:55 on a daily basis.

                It hardly gives days off.

                It continues to penalize the good because of the bad.

WE, therefore, the senior students of McFarland High School, demand our separation from the Hallways and the classrooms of the school, to allow the enjoyment of our last few months before we reach out to our own world, where we are no longer treated as babies, where we are no longer kept hostage in a building, where we are able to make choices on our own, and live our own life. WE are now Free and independent from McFarland High School.

Map Activity

A Map of the British Empire in American

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1733ap6a.jpg

                Looking for a map to analyze wasn’t a simple task for me. I have a difficult time understanding anything dealing with history, but this map stood out to me for quite a few reasons. The first reason I chose this map was because of the distinct separation of states that were formed during this time period. Although these states look much different on this map compared to something we would look at today. Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Caroline, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New York take on almost the exact form of our maps today. The few states that were different were Georgia, New England, and Nova Scotia. Both New England and Nova Scotia aren’t on our map anymore. Nova Scotia is what Maine is today.  One other feature of this map is the fact that none of the Mid-Western states have been formed yet, but a few lakes were founded. They had named Lake Superiour, Lake Illinois, and Lake Nurone in the mid-west region. The two other lakes that we still have today are Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

                There are many reasons to why this map looked the way it did. During the time that the United States was being colonized, people came in from where Maine is today and started to create a home or claim land for themselves. The reason that the coastal states on the east side were founded first is because they are closest to the other countries. The colonists had no idea what would lie ahead of them once they reached the land, they had some idea that there was more land that was about it. Therefore the easiest thing for them to do was colonize along the coast, which would leave easy access to the ocean and their boats. It colonized south rather than west because once people realized that a certain area was occupied, they wanted to find their own land and the only way to do this was to follow the land along the ocean, in their boats. Once they found a piece of land that looked to be unoccupied, they would anchor the boat and head to shore. If they left their ships, they left their only transportation.

 The other interesting part about this map is some of the names located on the map. In Babb’s text he claims that, “The names on the map are mostly English, detailing various “discoveries.” This can be held true with one of the lakes in particular, Lake Superiour. The British spelling uses the “our” ending, which shows that the colonists named this lake. Another few names that stood out as an English discovery are New England and New York. “New” could be because of the land that was just founded and the words proceeding could be from their own homeland. The reason that some of the names changed could be because they were originally named by other colonists or natives and once a superior group came in, they claimed the land and changed the name.