discussion questions for Walden

Discussion Questions for Walden Readings 

 

http://www.digitalthoreau.org/
"Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"

1. At the beginning of this chapter  Thoreau tells the story of how he almost bought the Hollowell Farm. Many of the qualities that made this farm attractive to Thoreau would have made it very unattractive to most real estate buyers. What were some of those qualities? What does Thoreau's preference for these qualities say about the difference between his priorities and those of most people?
2. We are often advised to make a commitment to relationships or to goals that are important to us. Yet Thoreau advises us "As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail." What problems does Thoreau see in su ch commitment? Do you agree that such problems are good cause to be cautious about commitment? Why or why not?
3. Compare Thoreau's description of the location of his cabin  to the opening paragraphs of McKibben's introduction  Why do people seek such places of quiet retreat? What do they hope to find? How might experiencing such places alter our priorities? What do Thoreau and McKibben say about this?
4. On  Thoreau discusses the importance of being truly "awake." How does his definition of being awake differ from the usual definition? How often are you and your friends awake, by Thoreau's definition?
5. On the bottom of  Thoreau gives us his famous statement of his purpose in going to live by the pond. How is it possible "to live what was not life"? Give examples from people you know or have read about.
6. A main theme of this chapter is misplaced priorities: Americans' preference for material rather than spiritual reality. What does Thoreau mean by the following:
   1. "As for work, we haven't any of any consequence" .
   2. "Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous" . Or again on , "We think that that is which appears to be."

"Reading"

On pp. 103­104 Thoreau accuses village governments of misplacing their spending priorities. What does Thoreau think villages should spend less on? More on? Does your town or city seem to share Thoreau's priorities? Give examples.

"Sounds"

Most people take what they see and hear literally, but Thoreau often finds symbolic value in such things in addition to the literal value. In the last section of this chapter (pp. 116­21) he describes hearing the s ounds of various animals. Which sounds does he value simply for the quality of the sound, and to which does he attach symbolic value? Give examples.

"Solitude"

1. According to his comments in this chapter, was Thoreau lonely at the pond? Why or why not?
2. What does Thoreau mean by the following comments:
   1. "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude" (p. 128).
   2. "I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when nobody calls" (p. 129).
3. Who are the "old settler" and "elderly dame" (p. 130) whom Thoreau describes as being among his favorite visitors at the pond? 

"Higher Laws"

Throughout Walden Thoreau expresses affection for and delight in the physical details of nature. In this chapter, however, he seems to reject the value of physical nature: "Nature is hard to be overcome, but she must be overc ome" (p. 207). The conflict between physical and spiritual priorities is a main theme of this chapter.

1. What value does Thoreau think that physical activities such as hunting and fishing have (pp. 197­201; see also pp. 266­67)?
2. What d oes Thoreau think is the danger of sensuality, and what solution to that problem does he suggest (pp. 205­9)? How convincing do you find his solution to be, and why?

"Conclusion"

1. This last chapter returns to the theme of finding a solid bottom, something to believe in as being essentially true (see, for instance, earlier passages on p. 92 and p. 268­70). To what extent does the st ory of the traveller in the swamp (p. 309) suggest that it is pos-sible to find such essential truth?
2. This chapter can also be viewed as Thoreau's prognosis for the reader's spiritual recovery, based on Thoreau's own experience living by the pond. Discuss how the following passages suggest the possiblility of a favorable future:
   1. "I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one" (p. 302).
   2. "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them" (p. 303).
   3. "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer" (p. 305).
   4. "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth" (p. 309).
   5. "Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star" (p. 312).

Emerson/ Thoreau, Walden

AGENDA:

1. Quick quiz on Emerson and transcendentalists

2. Go to library for Walden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TfhwmU6sFo 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhP7PKoRmmY

3. View short video on Emerson

4. Go over packet for tomorrow's WRITING WORKSHOP

The Divinity School Address

http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/essays/dsahyp.html

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/emersons-the-divinity-school-address/summary-and-analysis



Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Divinity School Address" takes a fresh approach to Christianity, arguing convincingly that historical Christianity is dying and that we each have divinity within us that we must embrace in order to live as best as we can. Emerson slowly builds his argument from a simple appreciation of life and nature to a call for virtuous living, making his argument very convincing, since he begins at a very basic level and talks his audience with him into a higher level of thought by the end of his speech. His argument is passionate, emotional and persuasive, but he is careful not to go so far as to forcefully impose his views on his audience. Emerson uses personal, emotional language to convey his point, and makes sure to emphasize certain points through his syntax. Like with his essay, "Self-Reliance," Emerson especially stresses the idea of relying on one's own thoughts and intuitions, or, as he puts it, one's soul.
Emerson immediately gets personal with his audience by expressing his admiration for the world in which we live, setting up a way for them to view him on their own level and identify with him, so that they are less likely to scrutinize his argument. After he has captured their attention, Emerson uses nature as a pathway into what he calls the sentiment of virtue and from there begins to argue his opinion about how historical Christianity is dying. After building and supporting a strong position and convincing his audience of the validity of his view, Emerson offers suggestions on how we can respond to this breakdown of Christianity. Right away, Emerson's words are pleasant and easy to agree with; "In this refulgent summer, it has been a luxury to draw the breath of life...One is constrained to respect the perfection of this world in which our senses converse. How wide; how rich; what invitation from every property it give to every faculty of man!"[1] This kind of approach makes an audience more likely to accept the rest of what he is about to say. Emerson warms up his audience by praising nature, aware that gratitude is something no one can disagree with. Then he begins to ask his questions and deliver the real message of his speech, sure that he has the attention and acceptance of his audience. This style is brilliant in that it prepares the audience by catching and keeping their attention so that Emerson is able to completely get his point across. From the beginning, he draws in his audience and then brings them with him through the whole discourse, ensuring that by the end, they have at least begun to think intelligently about what he has just presented.
"Divinity School Address" is a clear look into Emerson's personal thoughts, and because of the way he conveys the passion of these thoughts, the speech is moving to its audience, making it undoubtedly persuasive. Emerson truly believes that there is divinity inside everyone which we are neglecting. Through his speech, he not only offers his audience the opportunity to see what he is feeling, but invites them to feel along with him, to make faith personal again. "My friends, in these two errors, I think, I find the cases of a decaying church and a wasting unbelief. And what greater calamity can fall upon a nation than the loss of worship?"[2] Emerson is restating that he feels the church is dying and faith is waning, and then draws his audience into sharing in this sentiment with a rhetorical question. He forces his audience to take his own arguments and emotions and analyze them so that they are left with their own interpretation and feelings on the subject. It is hard not to agree with what Emerson is arguing, at least with the point that faith is dwindling and we need to look inward to strengthen it. Religion is always a personal subject, but the way that Emerson approaches it in this speech makes it even more personal because he concentrates on arguing that not only is faith within us, but we are its creators, that we actually have the power of the universal within us. On the surface, this may seem like blasphemy, but the points he makes to prove this are hard to deny, especially when he talks about Jesus.
"Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of prophets. He saw with open eye the mystery of the soul. Drawn by its severe harmony, ravished with its beauty, he lived in it, and had his being there. Alone in all history he estimated the greatness of man. One man was true to what is in you and me. He saw that God incarnates himself in man, and evermore goes forth anew to take possession of his World."[3]
It cannot be denied that Jesus was, indeed, what Emerson says he was, that he did do what Emerson claims, "estimated the greatness of man" and "saw that God incarnates himself in man." The passion of Emerson's argument shows how truly he believes it and adds to the persuasiveness. It is difficult to say that Emerson is wrong in his argument, or that there isn't a part of every one of us that agrees with what he has to say.
The command Emerson has over his language works perfectly in keeping his audience attentive to his argument. He clearly articulates his points, and often times will stretch out a sentence to fit the whole idea in, but he makes sure to restate that same idea again in a different way, often times as a series of shorter sentences that make a firm impact on the audience. A good example of this technique is when Emerson is speaking of every person as a preacher;
"It is very certain that it is the effect of conversation with the beauty of the soul, to beget a desire and need to impart to others the same knowledge and love. If utterance is denied, the thought lies like a burden on the man. Always the seer is a sayer. Somehow his dream is told; somehow he publishes it with solemn joy: sometimes with pencil on canvas, sometimes with chisel on stone...but clearest and most permanent, in words."[4]
Here, he is trying to make the point that every person has ideas inside his or her own being that are constantly trying to come out and be spread to others; that preaching one's own doctrines can happen in a variety of different ways. The first sentence he uses to say this is wordy and a little confusing, but once Emerson follows this sentence with simple sentences like "Always the seer is a sayer," and "Somehow his dream is told; somehow he publishes it with solemn joy," the entire idea is understood. Emerson wants his ideas to be completely understood by his audience so that they have a sturdier foundation on which to build their own thoughts about the same argument. His points are hard to forget because of the short, meaningful statements he uses to summarize and drive home his overall idea, making it impossible to misunderstand him. This kind of command that Emerson has over his speech is an amazing and highly effective tactic for arguing something as difficult as faith and works well for him in this case.
Emerson stresses the idea of listening to oneself in a very similar way to how he suggests people should live in his essay, "Self-Reliance." In that essay, he is essentially interested in convincing people not to conform to the opinions and expectations of society, but to follow his or her own intuitions and remain unaffected by any ideas other than their own. At one point in "Self-Reliance," Emerson says, "We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents,"[5] which clearly reflects his sentiments in the "Divinity School Address." Both essays stress the importance of recognizing our "souls," mainly through realizing our individual potential and passions. Toward the end of "Divinity School Address," Emerson makes a statement that could easily be put into "Self-Reliance;"
"Let me admonish you, first of all, to go alone; to refuse the good models, even those which are sacred in the imagination of men, and dare to love God without mediator or veil...Imitation cannot go above its model. The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity. The inventor did it because it was natural to him, and so in him it has a charm. In the imitator something else is natural, and he bereaves himself of his own beauty, to come short of another man's."[6]
"Self-Reliance" and "Divinity School Address" complement each other well. This passage demonstrates perfectly the overlapping messages from both essays. The similarities help emphasize the passion Emerson feels for his argument in "Divinity School Address," that we all need to turn inward and recognize the power we have inside of us and turn that into virtue and faith so that we can live according to the universal divinity that we are all part of.
[1] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature and Selected Essays. "An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge." pg. 107
[2] Ibid. pg. 122
[3] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature and Selected Essays. "An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge." pg. 113
[4] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature and Selected Essays. "An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge." pg. 110
[5] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature and Selected Essays. "Self-Reliance" pg. 176
[6] Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature and Selected Essays. "An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge." pg. 123

Self-Reliance /Nature

AGENDA FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY:

1. We will be finishing up our questions and discussion from yesterday regarding "Self-Reliance".

2. Writing Workshop/AP practice (15 minutes):
Imagine that a passage from "Self-Reliance" was used for Question #3 on the AP exam.  This is the Argumentation question.
Choosing ONE of the 6 key claims below, using your notes for quotes and ideas,  write a strong introductory paragraph defending, challenging, or qualifying Emerson's arguments for Self-Reliance as relevant for our society.  Refer to your readings, observations, and experience to support your position.

Some of Emerson's CLAIMS are:

• 1. The genuine self expresses the universal truth--GENIUS, THE OVERSOUL (man, nature, God)
• 2. One must develop the self and follow one's inner law--INDIVIDUALISM, SELF WORTH
• 3. There are dangers to conformity--NON-CONFORMITY, SOCIETAL DISAPPROVAL
• 4. Self help vs. prayer --
• 5. Travel is less important than growth at home--VISION OF AMERICA
• 6. Self reliance will lead one to be at peace--OPTIMISM

3. We will then share out our findings to the class, and finally, discuss and evaluate Emerson's argument.  Are you convinced?  If yes, WHY (DEFEND)?  If no, WHY (CHALLENGE)?  If a little of both, WHY (QUALIFY)? Consider how "revolutionary" this philosophy may have been for its time.




If time permits,  we will begin a discussion of "Nature".

HMWK:  "Nature" READING questions

Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite spaces, - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God."

"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

AGENDA:

Today, we will EXAMINE the key points in Emerson's essay which you have read and annotated for homework.  At the end of class, you will be EVALUATING how practical or idealistic Emerson's  claims are for living one's life in the "real world."


EQ: What are the key claims of Emerson's "Self Reliance" and how relevant are his arguments for living in the "real world"?

The essay on "Self-Reliance"  can be classified as ARGUMENTATION/PERSUASION ( that is the mode of discourse).  Emerson makes several CLAIMS regarding the importance of self-reliance in the essay. 


"Ne te quaesiveris extra." OR "Do not look outside of yourself."


Some of Emerson's CLAIMS are:
1. The genuine self expresses the universal truth--GENIUS, THE OVERSOUL (man, nature, God)

2. One must develop the self and follow one's inner law--INDIVIDUALISM, SELF WORTH

3. There are dangers to conformity--NON-CONFORMITY, SOCIETAL DISAPPROVAL

4. Self help vs. prayer --

5. Travel is less important than growth at home--VISION OF AMERICA

6. Self reliance will lead one to be at peace

In small groups (or with a partner), find the textual EVIDENCE  that supports one of these CLAIMS by quoting from the essay.

We will then share out our findings to the class, and finally, discuss and evaluate Emerson's argument.  Are you convinced?  If yes, WHY (DEFEND)?  If no, WHY (CHALLENGE)?  If a little of both, WHY (QUALIFY)? Consider how "revolutionary" this philosophy may have been for its time.

HMWK:  Read and annotate "Nature"

Whitman--closure/ Ralph Waldo Emerson Intro

WHITMAN REVIEW/Closure:
Please answer the questions with specific examples on the Whitman "Song of Myself" handout.  
This is a way for me and you to see what you recall about Whitman, his poem, and his importance in the Transcendentalism unit.

 Emerson Introduction:

We will watch the video about Emerson and go over a powerpoint introduction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QROVtOZNv_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq_Gt5GIznI

web.cvcaroyals.org/~dipaolo/documents/RalphWaldoEmerson.pps

Your homework: 
Read, annotate and answer the questions about "Self-Reliance" 

"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist" ‎

Song of Myself

AGENDA:

We will read several more sections of the poem to find examples of Whitman's key themes:
IDENTITY
VISION OF AMERICA
FRIENDSHIP
SPIRITUALITY
CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH
INDIVIDUALISM
DEMOCRACY

1. View video Intro lecture
2. View Connections intro
3. Work with partner on sections 6-21 of poem using the conversational roundtable template
4. Share out findings

Song of Myself annotated

http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Walt-whitman-song-of-myself-annotated

and INTRO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1KFUDxF0wE 

http://www.biography.com/people/walt-whitman-9530126/videos 

http://my.hrw.com/content/hmof/language_arts/hmhcollections/na/gr11/ese_9780544088245_/

Whitman's Preface to Leaves of Grass: The Search for an American Poet

AGENDA:

1. Review TENETS of Transcendentalism.
2.  Jigsaw Reading of Preface in groups: In small groups annotate and read several paragraphs of the Preface.  Group leader report out to the class.
3. Discussion Questions for the Preface

1. What does Whitman mean when he says, "The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem"?
2. Why does Whitman think that the United States, of all nations, has the most need of poets?
3. What does Whitman mean when he says, "A great poem is no finish to a man or woman but rather a beginning"?
4. Is the "great poet" that Whitman speaks of throughout his introduction a uniquely American figure, or someone who might exist in any time or place?

 Leaves of Grass
Welcome to Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass Annotation Project

Preface

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (Emma Lazarus). This quote is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. These words, like Walt Whitman's 1855 Preface, speaks to and for the American people. According to Whitman, America symbolizes freedom for all citizens, not just white men, but for women, black slaves, Native Americans, the illiterate, and the poor. It is this combination that makes this country unique and different from other countries. Whitman was inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his 1843 essay titled "The Poet". Whitman declares that America is a "poem" and speaks of the "greatest poet". Whitman boldly and innovatively expresses his opinions in this work. He speaks to the reader about unity and oneness. At the time this was published, 1855, America was a divided country, half were free and the other slave states. Whitman declares that we are all one people regardless of social status, degree of wealth, gender, and the color of our skin. He stresses this message when he states his view of hierarchy in the line, "President taking off his hat to them not they to him" (1), we are all equal; the President of the United States is no better or greater than the slave, the prostitute, or Native American.

Interestingly, the original 1855 version was published on or around the Fourth of July. The 1855 Preface is written in a ten page prose format and its style is lyrical and includes free verse. This was the only edition that Whitman included a preface to his Leaves of Grass and he did not include the title or the name of the author. Only later did it become known as the 1855 Preface. Whitman uses many of the same stylistic devices found in Leaves of Grass such as using compound words, ellipses instead of full sentences to indicate rhetorical pauses, and few commas so that the lines have a continuous rhythm. This is also written without use of the first person narrative. Whitman gives references to himself in many ways but without the use of "I", "me" or "myself". He is talking for everyone in America not just for himself. He speaks to all who wish to hear him. In this point of history, rich white males were the ones who could or would read something of this magnitude. Scholars and writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson would read this. Walt Whitman knows this and that is most likely the key reason why he wrote it. He wanted the elite to see America through the eyes of the people that make America so unique.

Whitman speaks loud and clear as the voice for women's rights. Women, at the time, had no voice and had limited rights. They were not able to vote or have the same opportunities that men held. He declares throughout this essay that women should be as equal as men and emphasizes this by frequently writing both man and woman. He promotes his idea of valuing women in the workplace by usin the term workwomen. For example, he speaks about the changing roles of religion and church and says that, "The churches built under their umbrage shall be the churches of men and women"(11). He speaks about Americans having an innate passion for everything from nature to sex and love. Not only did he mention women with men but he refers to them as freewomen. These abundant references to women tie into his philosophy of freedom for all people not just the white upper-class male.

Slavery was a key issue in America during the publication of Leaves of Grass. The nation was divided between North and South (free and slave states). Whitman speaks that we are one nation with a multitude of people and there are no differences between the plantation workers in the cotton fields and the slave owners. Whitman speaks for the black slaves and embraces their beauty and perspectives on life. Although they may be owned without any rights, illiterate, and treated like animals or property, their faith is still strong, "they never give up believing and expecting and trusting."(5). Whitman projects his hopes for the end of slavery when he states, "..when I and you walk abroad upon the earth stung with compassion at the sight of numberless brothers answering our equal friendship and calling no man master…"(8). Modern critic, Marki Ivan notes of Whitman's declaration for equality of all Americans when he cites Whitman's quote, "others are as good as he, only he sees it and they do not". America has an abundance of wealth and resources. Whitman refers to the United States as the "greatest poem" and we are the poets in this great nation. Here is a nation that accepts all mankind even though in this great nation people are divided according to race and gender and status. Whitman states this throughout the 1855 Preface and also makes references to the abundance of land and its many resources. He articulates that resources should be available to all mankind not just the select few (white males). Whitman also expresses his appreciation of the beauty and diversity of its natural resources. He believes that because of these assets people should find work and thrive.

Contemporary critic Marki Ivan refers to Whitman as the "Prophet of his land" (Ivan 2). Whitman gives the reader an insight to a great poem and poet in his Preface to Leaves of Grass:

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem.

Whitman strongly believes this idea and has faith in the American people to follow his advice. He feels that by accomplishing this task we will be one with one another, an equal and undivided nation "with liberty and justice for all".

See annotated passage for answers to key questions about the poet:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng372/preface.htm 

Edgar Allan Poe:
The Poetic Principle (1850)

THE POETIC PRINCIPLE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IN speaking of the Poetic Principle, I have no design to be either thorough or profound. While discussing, very much at random, the essentiality of what we call Poetry, my principal purpose will be to cite for consideration, some few of those minor English or American poems which best suit my own taste, or which, upon my own fancy, have left the most definite impression. By “minor poems” I mean, of course, poems of little length. And here, in the beginning, permit me to say a few words in regard to a somewhat peculiar principle, which, whether rightfully or wrongfully, has always had its influence in my own critical estimate of the poem. I hold that a long poem does not exist. I maintain that the phrase, “a long poem,” is simply a flat contradiction in terms.

I need scarcely observe that a poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement. But all excitements are, through a psychal necessity, transient. That degree of excitement which would entitle a poem to be so called at all, cannot be sustained throughout a composition of any great length. After the lapse of half an hour, at the very utmost, it flags — fails — a revulsion ensues — and then the poem is, in effect, and in fact, no longer such.

Would Whitman agree with this?

Intro to Transcendentalism: Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau

Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau 

 

Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.

Walt Whitman

"Always do what you are afraid to do."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Re-examine All You Have Been Told":  Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau

"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body… . The poet shall not spend his time in unneeded work. He shall know that the ground is always ready ploughed and manured … others may not know it but he shall. He shall go directly to the creation. His trust shall master the trust of everything he touches … and shall master all attachment."
from Whitman's Preface to Leaves of Grass (1855)

WHAT IS THE TONE OF THIS PASSAGE?

 

Due: March 28, 2014

TASK (Final Unit Assessment): What are the central themes of American Transcendentalism?  After reading the writings of Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, write a synthesis essay 5-7 pages that defines and explains the central themes of American Transcendentalism.  Support your discussion with evidence from the texts you have read.  What implications can you draw from these readings that pertain to contemporary society?

DAY 1 

In a quick write, write your first reactions to the task prompt.  Add some notes of things you already know about these writers and Transcendentalism.

Go to American Transcendentalism web:

www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/

Read essay by Allan Sugg  "Transcendentalist Principles from Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman in the film Dead Poets Society"

www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/roots/legacy/sugg.html

Dead Poets Society clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91Wl2YpkD8 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veYR3ZC9wMQ 

Intro to Transcendentalism Prezi

Sample

http://my.hrw.com/content/hmof/language_arts/hmhcollections/na/gr11/ese_9780544088245_/