and try to figure out what the term transcendentalism might mean With a partner make a list on your board What does a person have to believe in order to be a transcendentalist ID: 689342
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Slide1
Transcendentalism
Read the three excerpts (written by prominent transcendentalists)
and try to figure out what the term “transcendentalism” might mean.
With a partner, make
a
list on your board:
What
does a person have to
believe
in order to be a transcendentalist? Slide2
Transcendentalism
Movement predominantly popular 1836-1860A writing philosophy that strives to see the world beyond common sense categories
Strives to lift us above common day conflicts and struggles and to raise us to new heights of freedom and
unity with
worldly goodnessSlide3
Transcendentalism
Led celebration of the American experiment as one of individualism and self reliance
Valued
imagination over reason
,
creativity over theory
, and
action over contemplation
Great optimism about the world stemming from belief that
all men and women can transcend limits and reach new heightsSlide4
Criticism
Striving to find truths to match the ideals they believed in created
inauthenticity in some of their writing
Often would stretch/reshape the facts to fit their theories, leaving out
inconvenient findingsSlide5
Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman
Choose one of these writers and work with a partner to identify that writer’s topic, tone, and purposeSlide6
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The “father” of transcendentalism Began by lecturing about spiritual experience and ethical living
Other writers flocked to his writings—all craved a deeper and more profound understanding of human experience Slide7
Henry David Thoreau
Began writing nature poetry alongside Emerson in 1840s
Emerson very supportive of his writing
Took transcendentalism to heart—went to live in the wild and wrote
Walden
Built his own home, seeking to live
simply
Believed in following own moral
compass—not blindly following lawsSlide8
Walt Whitman
“Father” of free verse poetry
Poetry that does not follow a rhyme scheme or structure
Incredibly poor for much of his life
Published his own work
Strove to overcome moral,
philological, and political boundaries
Considered one of America’s
most important poetsSlide9
“Bivouac on a Mountain
Side”
Read and annotate Whitman’s poem
Identify: the
role of his
speaker
Consider: what is the speaker talking about?
Consider: what words does Whitman use to describe the trees, men, and horses? The stars? Slide10
Consider what you got from our time outside yesterday
Did you notice certain things about nature?
Did you notice the difference between doing work inside and doing work outside?Slide11
Imitate Whitman’s Style
Start with “I see before me now”, then describe what you observed
Be sure to include the scenery
Be sure to include the people, animals, or other living things you observed
Be sure to end with your most profound
observation comparing one observation to another