Emersonian Gift Speech Ms. Wu American Literature November 17, 2008

Happy Monday, 11/17  Please begin class by looking over your essay and reading over the Emersonian Gift Speech rubric silently.

Developing  “Emerson says that gifts should come from the heart.”  Emerson never says this, so it is imprecise to claim that Emersonian gift “comes from the heart.”

Satisfactory  Emerson says that gifts should come from nature, be beautiful, and necessary. They should reflect something about your and your gift recipient’s character.  General understanding; no specific quotes

Strong  Emerson writes that a gift should be beautiful, meet someone’s practical need, or come from nature. He explains that “the gift, to be true, must be the flowing of the giver unto me, and correspondent to my flowing unto him,” reflecting something unique about the person’s character. Following this spirit of Emerson, I have brought…  Specific ideas referenced; one specific quote

Outstanding  In his essay “Gifts,” Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson describes the appropriate gift as one that reflects the beauty of nature (e.g. flowers or fruits), provides a necessity, or conveys some unique aspect of one’s character. This gift must flow from me into my gift recipient. Additionally, an Emersonian gift should come from “the genius and god of gifts”—love. A love for humanity and our connection to one another. For my gift, I have chosen to illustrate Emerson’s idea that a gift must be of necessity and convey some unique aspect of one’s character. Today I have brought…  Gives context for ideas, references specific quotes, deliberately chooses to highlight which Emersonian ideas the gift represents.