1. October 5-9
Transcendentalism

2. 5 October 2015
Quickwrite: Compose a letter to Ms. Tomlin about what you have learned so far in the class. Do not say, “I haven’t learned anything.” Minimum of 2 paragraphs. *Bonus points for coming up with an assignment to do in the future that we have not done before.
Essential Questions: What is a body biography? How can body biographies help show my understanding of a piece of literature?

3. Written Component – Body Biography
Instructions—Choose 1 of the following written components to complete:
1. I Am Poem
2. Journal/Letter Entry
3. Reader Response

4. Putting It All Together
Create your final draft for your body biography. Refer to the rubric for guidance.
Components you DEFINITELY NEED:
1. Visual – The actual character body with the symbolic images, colors, and background.
2. Passages/Quotes – Five quotes and the explanation as to how/why they are important to the story.
3. Original Written Piece – Choosing one of the three writing component prompts.
4. The Sequence of Events – Important events from beginning to end (summarize).

5. Closing
What did you enjoy the most about the body biography assignment? What did you enjoy the least?
Turn In:
All pieces to the body biography.
Quickwrite

6. October 6, 2015
Quickwrite: Interpret the following quote by Abraham Lincoln, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”
Daily Notes: “Transcendentalism”
Essential Questions: What is Transcendentalism? In what ways are Romanticism and Transcendentalism similar / different?

7. Transcendentalism
A philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and observed.
A literary movement in the 1830’s – 1840’s that established a clear “American voice”.
Began as a protest against the general state of culture and society at the time.
Emerson first expressed his philosophy in his essay “Nature.”
A belief in a higher reality than that achieved by human reasoning.
Suggests that every individual is capable of discovering this higher truth through intuition.

8. Transcendentalism is based on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
Kant believed that principles should be based on "practical reason,” or only upon things about which reason (intellect) can tell us.

9. Beliefs: Transcendentalism
Romanticism
Focused on emotion
Idealistic
Change
Faith in inner experience
Youthful, innocent
Looks to wisdom of the past
Unspoiled nature
Values inner feeling, intuition
Depends on imagination
Inspired by nature, supernatural
Change, freedom, spontaneity
Transcendentalist
Includes all of the Romantic beliefs plus the following:
“Goes beyond” reason and sensory experience
Human senses are limited; convey knowledge of physical world; every individual can discover ultimate truth through spiritual intuition
God is present in all Nature including humans
Everyone can know God through the use of intuition
God, nature, and humanity are united in a shared universal soul, or Over-Soul

10. The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken was published in 1916.
It is NOT from the Transcendental Period, but does have some Transcendental Qualities.
Can you guess which qualities of Transcendentalism this poem has?

11. What we will do with this poem…
Number the stanzas and lines.
Look at literal and figurative meaning
Review Metaphor
Practice Rhyme Scheme
Answer the questions on the sheet.

12. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

13. Closing
What are the similarities and differences between Romanticism and Transcendentalism? Name at least 2.
Turn In: Metaphors with Robert Frost, COMPLETED body biographies.

14. Turn in at Tray Metaphors with Robert Frost worksheet
Written Component Half-Sheet Choice Assignment
Letter to Ms. Tomlin
Closing
If you finish with everything, then you may work on your group’s body biography poster.

15. 7 October 2015
Quickwrite: Transcend means to be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division). Based off of this definition, what might be the main theme/idea of Transcendentalism? What limits might transcendentalism be trying to go beyond?
Essential Questions: What is Transcendentalism? In what ways are Transcendentalism and Romanticism similar and different?

16. 1st Transcendentalist Values
Alleged that organized institutions in society, like religion and politics, negatively tainted individuals’ innocence.
Transcendentalists proposed that individuals are at their best when they are entirely independent and self-reliant.
The Transcendentalist values were not well received or liked by others.
Why would some individuals fear non-conformity and self- reliance?

17. 2nd Transcendentalist Value
Idealism: Philosophical way of thinking.
Transcendentalists wanted to continue the Romantic ideals of intuition, innovation, and imagination. They believed that if everyone acted in an “ideal” way, then the world would be a better place and we could all live in harmony.
What questions does this raise for you?

18. 3rd Transcendentalist Value
They believed in the divinity of nature.
What do you think “divinity of nature” means?

19. “Divinity of Nature”
Transcendentalists did not believe in organized religion, but they were very spiritual people.
They believed that nature is sacred, and that it is imperative for individuals to connect with nature to explore their inner selves and have deep self-reflection.
Get to know God through nature.
“Over-soul” Belief that everything happens for a reason. Believed that since nature is divine, we must not interfere with

21. Unlike Puritans, they saw humans and nature as possessing an innate goodness.
“In the faces of men and women, I see God”
-Walt Whitman
Opposed strict ritualism and dogma of established religion.

23. Transcendentalism: The tenets
Believed in living close to nature/importance of nature. Nature is the source of truth and inspiration.
Taught the dignity of manual labor
Advocated self-trust/confidence
Valued individuality/non-conformity/free thought
Advocated self-reliance/ simplicity

24. The main points of Transcendentalism can be summed up as this:
No institution, whether political or religious is as powerful as the individual.
The human mind is the most important force of the universe.
People should act and think independently and avoid conformity.
Nature teaches us how we are connected to everyone and everything around us, it all comes back to nature.
Such things as truth, justice, beauty and love are necessary to the soul, the soul needs nothing money can buy.
A government that governs least is the best possible kind of government.

26. The first transcendentalists
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bronson Alcott
Margaret Fuller
Henry David Thoreau

27. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882 Son of a Unitarian minister
7- father died
14- entered Harvard (began journal that he kept all his life)
Harvard Divinity School= Pastor
Wife died- resigned after 3 years; went to Europe
Settled in Concord and remarried; lived on first wife’s money
Started writing professionally and is Transcendentalist.
A small group of people would meet and discuss transcendental ideas at his house deeming it the “Athens of America”
1841- first national fame with Essays
“I am born a poet of a low class without doubt, yet a poet. That is my nature and my vocation.”

28. Henry David Thoreau
Eccentric, rarely followed rules
Harvard- wore green coat instead of a black coat
Became fascinated by Emerson’s transcendentalist ideas
Simplified his life and dedicated it to exploring and writing about the spiritual relationship between humanity and nature
lived in a cabin on Walden Pond
Spent a night in jail after refusing to pay taxes he felt were being used to fight the Mexican-American War.
Was a dedicated abolitionist and helped many slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
54 died of TB; not critically successful, but spiritually fulfilled

29. “Self-reliance” -Emerson
“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation in suicide…” “Trust thyself…” “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think…” “…to be great is to be misunderstood”

31. “Nature”
“We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds… A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men.”

32. The Walden Experiment Thoreau began “essential” living
Built a cabin on land owned to Emerson in Concord, Mass. near Walden Pond
Lived alone there for two years studying nature and seeking truth within himself

34. “I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it has to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

35. “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.”

36. “Still we live meanly like ants
“Still we live meanly like ants.” “Our life is frittered away by detail.” “Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?” “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. I say, let your affairs be as two or three and not a hundred or a thousand.”

38. “How deep the ruts of tradition and conformity.”
Individuality
“How deep the ruts of tradition and conformity.”

40. “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.”

41. “Civil Disobedience”
Thoreau’s essay urging passive, non-violent resistance to governmental policies to which an individual is morally opposed.
Influenced individuals such a Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela.

42. “[If injustice] is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be the friction to stop the machine.”

45. Activity 1
How does the Calvin & Hobbes cartoon reflect transcendentalism? Be thorough in you answer and provide a detailed explanation that incorporates the cartoon. Write clearly and legibly.

46. Activity 2
Read and annotate the lyrics as we listen to the music. How do these modern pieces of pop culture reflect transcendentalism? What specific lines in the songs do you notice speaking to the ideas of the transcendental movement? Write clearly and legibly.
"I lived"
Video (Main) India.Arie

47. Activity 3
Read and annotate (3) the poem carefully. What is the poem about? How does it reflect transcendental values? Notice the shift in line 5. How does it change the focus of the poem? Write clearly and legibly.
When I heard the learn’d astronomer, When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me, When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself, In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars

48. Closing Come up with an APPROPRIATE team name.
Transcendentalism
Literary Devices
Come up with an APPROPRIATE team name.
Write your names on a sheet of paper, along with your team name.
One person take out a phone for each team. This person needs to have access to wifi or data.
Go to kahoot.it
Put the code in that comes up on the screen, then enter your team name.

49. 8 October 2015
Quickwrite: Interpret and explain the following quote— “Nobody is better than you and you are no better than anybody else.” Do you agree with the quote? Why or why not? Essential Questions: What is Transcendentalism? In what ways are Transcendentalism and Romanticism similar/different?

50. Transcendental Society
You will be creating a society based off of the Transcendental qualities/characteristics.
You may choose your groups, however there cannot be less than 3 to a group and no more than 5 to a group. The only exception to this rule is if you decide to work by yourself (just note that it’ll be a lot more work to do). If there are any issues with this, I will assign the groups myself.
You have 2 ½ minutes to choose your groups.

51. Transcendental Society
Now that you have your group together, make a list of your member’s names on a sheet of paper.
Your first job will be to pick out two to three Transcendental qualities/characteristics/ideas that you like the most.
Select a name for your society. You may create a name with some meaning (from something you already know) or come up with an acronym. The name must be related to Transcendental ideals.

52. Transcendental Society
Write a pledge illustrating the values and allegiances of your society. Or, for extra points, turn it into an anthem.
Remember, you need to make sure that your pledge shows the Transcendental ideals/values that you chose for your group.
You must be able to explain how your pledge reflects Transcendentalism.

53. Transcendental Society
Design and create a flag using colors and symbols to illustrate the values of your society.
Make sure that the colors and symbols you use on your flag reflect Transcendentalism.
Tomorrow I will bring in large sheets of paper for you to make your final flag on.

54. Transcendental Society
Develop an economic system for your society, giving samples of the currency and write an explanation (in detail) of how the system works. (Remember, currency has value because it is not infinitely attainable.)
You need to be able to explain how people use this money and what its value is.
Remember, your money’s design needs to be reflective of your society.

55. Closing
What did each member of your group do today? Explain in detail.
Turn In
Group Member’s Names, Transcendental Qualities/values/characteristics, Society Name, Pledge, Flag, Currency.

56. 9 October 2015
Quickwrite: What do you believe would make the world perfect? If it were up to you, what would the world be like? Why would you want it that way?
Essential Questions: What are the characteristics and qualities of Transcendentalism? How does our modern society reflect these qualities? What beliefs does our modern society have that differ from Transcendentalism?

57. Transcendental Society
Write an explanation of the kinds of occupations your society would encourage its citizens to engage in. Also address which type of common occupations would be inappropriate.
These occupations should reflect Transcendental value. Remember Transcendentalist believed in the dignity of manual labor—and that, in fact, this manual labor made an individual an even better person.
It is unlikely that Transcendentalist would have occupations that involve glorifying material items and/or actively harming the environment.

58. Transcendental Society
Write a description of the type of environment your society would be in (i.e. would it be a rural society, an urban society, an island? a combination?). Explain your choice.
(Hint: Recall that Transcendentalist disliked Industrialization and Urbanization—A.K.A. The City)
Also create a map of your society along with a key.

59. Transcendental Society
Write a legal code for your community. Describe at least three behaviors your society would deem inappropriate/criminal behaviors. Then explain how your society would deal with those citizens who commit these inappropriate behaviors.
Remember, you do not want to hurt the criminals— simply give them appropriate/just punishments for their crimes.

60. Transcendental Society
Create some type of promotional material that would encourage others to become a part of your society.
It can be in the form of posters, pamphlets, or even a commercial (you’d have to do a skit for that). You are simply trying to convince people that your society is the best society to choose from!

61. Closing
What did each member of your group do today? Explain in detail.
Turn In
Everything you worked on today. Put these items in your folder and put the folder in the tray.
Turn the closing in at the tray.