Thursday, January 14th

Starter
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Class Biz

Agenda
Transcendentalism/Romantics powerpoint

Go over seminar prep guidelines (Here is the link to seminar readings and guidelines):

1. Find three sentences (from any of the seminar articles) that stand out to you.  They could be sentences that move you, that ring with truth, that make you angry, that you totally disagree with.
2. Write a paragraph response to each of the sentences.  Pick it apart, react to it, respond.  OR Draw a picture in response to each of the sentences OR Some combination of the above
3. In addition, what is the thesis for each of the three seminar texts?  What’s the main argument being made?
4. Write a TEA paragraph for each essential question, pulling from all the seminar texts (you may use “The End of Solitude” too) for evidence
5. Write 2-3 seminar questions.  These could be questions you don’t know the answer to, or questions that you think would spark a healthy discussion.

Essential Questions

• To what extent have our technological advancements and changes in societal structures exacerbated feelings of loneliness and prevent opportunities for solitude?
• To what extent is it important to be self-reliant?
• What obstacles prevent us from cultivating self-reliance and solitude?
• What main claims from Emerson and Thoreau about self-reliance vs. conformity and solitude v. society apply to the ways in which we interact and “connect” in today’s world?
• What are the benefits of solitude and self-reflection? Time in nature?
• To what extent do Thoreau, Emerson and McCandless’s ideas serve as a guide for how you want to live your own life? Which ideas resonate with you? Which do you reject?

Read “Self-Reliance” by Emerson and complete seminar prep relevant to this essay