1. As you come in…
On a blank piece of paper, respond to the following questions:
What do you know about transcendentalism? Who and what was involved?
What effect did transcendentalism have on American literature (specifically poetry)?
(15m) Discuss transcendentalism (how is transcendentalism like our extended definition poems? Because it attempts to explain things through emotion/sensory feeling rather than data and logical reasoning.
(20m) Read and annotate Self-Reliance
(10m) Discuss Self-Reliance
(20m) Read “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” and discuss
(20m) Listen to “The Scientist” and discuss

2. “Self-Reliance”

3. Astronomers and Scientists
Discuss the following questions with your group and be prepared to share:
What is going on in this poem?
Why is Whitman telling this story? What point is he trying to make?
Do you agree or disagree with what he is saying? What makes you say so?

4. Astronomers and Scientists
Discuss the following questions with your group and be prepared to share:
What is the meaning behind this song?
In what ways is “The Scientist” like Whitman’s poem? How are they similar?
Are these pieces still relevant? Why or why not?
Some things cannot be explained by logic and reason. They must just be experienced to be understood and no amount of analysis and explanation will ever do it justice to capture the complex beauty, heartache, and wonder.

6. Ode Poetry Your turn: Compose an extended definition poem of your own.
Attempts to explain an idea, emotion, or event through situations and examples
Uses imagery and descriptive language
i.e. “The heat pierced my skin, perforating through each pore, until my heart in likeness beat the heat right back” rather than, “His hugs were warm and it was nice”
Uses a numbered list to separate each example