“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
This picture is a photo of my step-father, Roland. My step-dad is a man who is very content in his solitude. Pictured here he is fishing which also reminds me of the saying “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” Roland is a very self-reliant man. Not only does he fish but he hunts, camps, and grows his own garden. He is not concerned about the world’s opinion and lives by his own rules. My step-father has many friends and finds that he can be himself and remain genuine under social situations he finds himself in. He does not conform to others behaviors and opinions. I think this picture represents transcendentalism by the individual power people have in providing for themselves. There is not much popularity on fishing as being a self-reliant thing that people do in order to survive but it is considered a sport for enjoyment. Roland does fish for support but he also fishes to put food on the table. One of the reasons I love this picture so much is because of the spirituality aspect to it. He is standing and fishing alone and the water behind him is extremely calm. People can meditate and get a better knowledge of themselves in times like this. Emerson encourages people to be themselves and my step-dad, Roland, is an excellent example of this.
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ReplyDeleteI like your photo. The sea (lake?) is so blue and so beautiful. I think the photo perfectly fits the quote you chose. In fact, many people, including me, are easily swayed by public opinion. You must be proud of your step-father, living according to his beliefs. To tell the truth, I was going to post my son’s picture, which was taken in a gymnastics competition, on the blog. However, looking embarrassed, he refused me the use of his picture for my assignment. He believes in his own ability and continues to train hard in gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteI probably should have read your posting before I posted my homework to the blog, I used the exact same quote. It is a very powerful quote indeed, I took to it and I can tell you did as well. I like the picture you used of your step-father, it is original and you touch on the spiritual aspect of the transcendentalist movement. According to our lecture we had it states that Transcendentalist movement much emphasis on individual power, Eastern thought, and the integration of spiritual and material worlds (which you touched on). Once again I like the original picture.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you used someone in your life to fit this quote- it shows how people today can still hold true and be content with what they think and their views on things and not what the world pressures them to think or do. A lot of the quotes listed on the message board are about not conforming, believing in yourself, having a voice of your own; I think your picture and explanation embodies just that.
ReplyDeleteI think the picture fits perfect with the quote. I also like how well you described your step-dad so everyone knows how it relates to the quote. I think it was very important to stress that your step-dad does not care what others think and he lives life by his rules, and he is not living to make people who do not matter happy. I also like the way you described the water being calm and him just fitting into the picture, much like the quote describes.
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