1. October 26th Warm-up:
In Emerson’s “Self-Reliant” he spoke on how society was the aversion, or opposite, to self-reliance. What does this mean? Does this still ring true today?

2. People give up their rights in exchange for a feeling of security.
RESPOND
“Society is a joint stock company in which its members agree for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater”
MEANS……
People give up their rights in exchange for a feeling of security.
Do you believe this is true? Can you think of an instance (in your life, in the news, etc.) where you’ve seen/heard of someone doing this?

3. Conformity vs. Self reliance
What did you learn from your observations yesterday?

4. Transcendentalism Transcend – to rise above, to pass beyond limits
“The Divine” - of, from, or like God

5. Transcendentalism is:
Included in the romantic era of American writing
A rebirth or renaissance of intellectual and artistic achievements
A movement that occurred from (Civil War) that made a cultural imprint with American idealism and ethical issues
Where people looked to the “literary man” for guidance

6. It began as a reaction to:
Economic prosperity, whereby cities and governments had been established
Social problems that needed to be analyzed: Slavery, Child labor, Materialism, political corruption, American expansionism

7. Important details
Divine nature – God is in man and in all living things. Therefore nature is divine.
If we live IN HARMONY with nature, we can transcend.
Each person is inherently good
To be an individual, one must live free of society’s beliefs and habits. Society is corrupt because it is uniform.
Individual is more important than society
Be an optimist

8. Henry David Thoreau
At age 28 Thoreau had only last two weeks as a school teacher, was turned down by his girlfriend when he proposed and was not doing well with his public lectures (essentially a failure).
He moved to a cabin on the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts where “Walden, or Life in the Woods was written.
His move to this cabin was an experiment to rediscover the grandeur of a simple life led close to nature. He was attempting to find the answer to the question: What is life?

9. Today: Read through “Economy” (pg. 193-196)
Walden
As you read, imagine yourself in the woods near this pond. How would you have responded to a life that offered little more in excitement than a battle between ants, no company other than a visit from a bird?
Today: Read through “Economy” (pg )
As you read, STOP – and – JOT! Basically, after every 2 paragraphs I want you to summarize what you just read in one-two sentences.
Complete the section of the graphic organizer for “Economy”