2007

Part One:

in Your Life

A. Determine what Transcendentalism means by examining the following ten precepts and including support quotations from Thoreau and Emerson.

· Oversoul

· Importance of Nature

· Self-confidence

· Non-conformity

· Self-reliance

· Free thought

· Simplicity

· Getting the most from life

· Society’s effect on the individual

· Importance of dreaming big

(To an extent you have already done this. Use your notes from the in-class discussions to begin this section.)

B. Select two precepts and decide how you can follow them for the next three days.

a. Example: Inventory your time expenditures and find ways to simplify your existence

b. Example: Find something you absolutely believe in and stand up for your beliefs

c. Example: Find some way to tune yourself in to Nature

C. Keep a journal of your activities in following Transcendentalism. In this journal: discuss the quotes you originally selected as illustrating the precepts you adopted and what they mean to your life. Each journal should explore not only the decisions that you made and actions you took but also their effects on you. For your final packet, type up your journal entries and add a few paragraphs about what you learned.

Part Two:

in Popular Culture

Find examples of Transcendentalist thinking in pop culture. Look at all the resources in pop culture that you have access to. You can consider genres such as sitcoms, television dramas, children's cartoons, movies, commercials, newspaper editorials, popular music, and so forth. Your job is to find references from various pop genres of each of the major precepts.

• Provide at least two examples for each of five characteristics (you chose which five) of transcendental thought. You may provide more than two examples if you wish. Do not use the same precepts you chose to follow in Part One.

• Choose a different quotation for each category. You can repeat the sources that you choose but should find different example quotations or actions. For instance, two of your quotations might come from the same movie; but the quotations from the movie must be different.

• Look for examples from multiple genres. Try to include at least three different genres in your final project.

• Be sure that you provide explanations for the quotations or examples that you’ve chosen that show why each is an example of transcendentalist thought. These explanations do not need to be long, but they should be clear. (A few sentences for each will do.)

• If possible, attach a copy of each of your examples to the project that you submit. For instance, attach a copy of a newspaper editorial or the lyrics to a song. Don’t worry about providing a copy of a movie or a television show. J

All of this, in a nice packet, is due on Monday!!!