Bob+Weaver+Transcendental+Essay

Bob Weaver

Mr. Collins

English III – E Period

November 16, 2010 Gonna Transcend Transcendentalists believe that man can go beyond his own expectations. By doing so, a person will be able to achieve spiritual success. This success, however, is not simple; it requires a great determination. In Eddie Vedder’s song “Rise,” the speaker claims that he is determined to “rise up” (Vedder) and become his own person. The song begins with the speaker’s recognition that, in this world, “you can never know/ just where to put all your faith/ and how will it grow” (Vedder). Like Ralph Waldo Emerson, founder of Transcendentalism, the speaker feels disillusioned by his role in the universe. This disillusionment will not bring him down, however, and he declares that he will “rise up” and “[turn] mistakes into gold” (Vedder). The song concludes with the speaker claiming he will “throw down [his] ace in the hole” (Vedder). This simple metaphor to card play shows that the speaker is determined to give his best effort—in a hand of cards, an ace is the best asset—in order to become the person he desires.

“Rise” – by Eddie Vedder, 2007

Such is the way of the world You can never know Just where to put all your faith And how will it grow

Gonna rise up Burning back holes in dark memories Gonna rise up Turning mistakes into gold

Such is the passage of time Too fast to fold And suddenly swallowed by signs Low and behold

Gonna rise up Find my direction magnetically Gonna rise up Throw down my ace in the hole

// Below is an example of aWorks Cited page for a song. Below that, I created a Works Cited for the essay that appears on the previous page. //

Works Cited Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Song Title.” Album. Manufacturer, Date. Format. Works Cited Vedder, Eddie. “Rise.” Music from the Motion Picture //Into the Wild//. J-Records, 2007. CD.