1. Extended Interpretations
Transcendentalism
Extended Interpretations

2. Critic’s Corner
The noted writer Henry James said that Emerson” had no great sense of wrong… no sense of the dark, foul, the base.” How do you think Emerson might have defended his views against this charge?

3. What if…
… Emerson had specifically addressed the institution of slavery in this essay. What do you think he would have said about it?

4. Emerson Today
If Emerson were alive today… What kind of car do you think he would drive and why? What would his bumper sticker say? Why would this bumper sticker be appropriate for him?

5. From “Memoirs” by Margaret Fuller
In the chamber of death, I prayed In the very early years, “Give me truth; cheat me by no illusion.” O, the granting of this prayer is sometimes terrible to me!
I walk over the burning ploughshares, and the sear My feet. Yet nothing but The truth will do.
How do Margaret Fuller’s ideas in this poem compare to “Self-Reliance?”

6. Making Connections
How is “Self-Reliance” relevant today? How do his ideas about the importance of the individual apply to our modern world?
Consider in your answer:
His idea that all people should be nonconformists
His disregard for consistency of thought and deed
Peer pressure to conform to certain standards.

7. Civil Disobedience
What does it mean to be a good citizen? What are the qualities and actions of a good citizen? Is it possible to be a good citizen and a lawbreaker at the same time?
Explain your position with evidence from the world around you

8. Civil Disobedience, Nonviolent Resistance or Disobedience?
What are the differences between Civil Disobedience, nonviolent resistance and just plain disobedience?
Given What you know about Emerson, Thoreau and Gandhi’s ideas, How do you classify Occupy Wall Street?
What are thoughts on this movement? Do you agree or disagree?