Name: ______10 CP

New England Renaissance Review- DAY TWO

Romantic Period PowerPoint Notes

  1. Where and when did the Transcendentalist movement begin?
  1. Transcendentalists believed in the ______of creation and the essential ______of mankind.
  1. Define the word “transcend”. How is this related the Transcendentalists main goal?
  1. From where does real knowledge come? To whom is knowledge available?
  1. What did the Transcendentalists think of political action? What role did the individual play in social reform?

Transcendentalism Introductory Note Outline

  1. The movement values the innate ______of the human soul. (“Innate” is something we have at birth; whereas things which are learned are gained through experience).
  1. How does the movement tend to view tradition?
  1. How does the movement tend to view conformity?
  1. How does the movement tend to view religion? Worship?
  1. What was Emerson’s profession? What prompted him to leave this job?
  1. How do Transcendentalists believe one got in touch with his soul? (Consider Thoreau’s method).
  1. Define the term “betterment”. How does this apply to the Transcendentalist movement?
  1. Transcendentalists support American individuality; they celebrated ______.
  1. Thoreau thought nature was pure because it was free from what TWO things?
  1. What did Transcendentalists fear that modernization might cause?
  1. The Transcendentalists opposition to wage slavery led them to experiment with ______communes. Here, all members share what TWO things?
  1. Civil disobedience inspired what TWO notable world leaders?
  1. Who was seen as the earliest American feminist? (Please use her full name).

Emerson Packet

From Nature

  1. Where does man need to go to be alone? What TWO things does he need to be away from?
  1. According to Emerson, do most men appreciate nature? Contrast an adult’s view of nature with that of a child.
  2. How is a poet's possession of the land different from that of Miller, Locke, or Manning? Why doesn't he need a deed?
  1. How does Emerson say nature makes him feel about his future? What does he believe will never happen?
  1. What is Emerson’s famous quote dealing with observation? Why is man’s role as an observed important?

“Concord Hymn”

  1. Why does Emerson describe the opening sound of this battle as the shot heard round the world?
  1. What seems to be Emerson’s thought on history? Does he respect those that fought for our freedom? Why/why?
  1. What are the advantages of remembering one's personal or collective history? Can you think of any contemporary songs that pay tribute to a particular person or event? (One example would be Elton John's song "A Candle in the Wind").

From Self-Reliance

  1. What are Emerson’s thoughts on making mistakes? Do you think he encourages other to be self-confident or self-conscious? Why?
  1. What happens when one realizes “envy is ignorance”? (Paraphrase this expression). What are Emerson’s thought on imitation?
  1. Would Emerson agree/disagree with the following: Each man is godly, even if he fails to voice his innermost thoughts? Why?
  1. What virtue does society most value? Why is the value crucial to society?
  1. What virtue does society seem to dislike or discourage? How might this value threaten the community at large?
  1. "The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude". Explain the significance of this sentence.

Walden Reading ws

  1. What does Thoreau seek to do in the woods? How can we “suck the marrow” from our own lives?
  1. Thoreau describes the townspeople’s’ response to the parish-bell and a man waking up from a nap. How are they similar? What does man always want to know?
  1. Paraphrase the statement, “Time is but a stream I go a-fishing in”. How is time like a river?
  1. How does Thoreau’s statement “I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born” characteristic of the Transcendentalist philosophy?
  1. Why did Thoreau leave the woods? What does he seem to think of routine? (From the “Conclusion”)
  1. What will happen to a man who “goes confidently in the direction of his dreams”? Is this the ultimate goal of Transcendentalists?

Civil Disobedience (completed questions in book)

  1. What motto does Thoreau think is better than “The government is best which governs least”? Why?
  1. Thoreau says, “It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the west. It does not educate”. (Note: the “it” here is government.). Well then, who does? What is Thoreau suggesting?
  1. Does Thoreau consider himself a no-government man? Why/why not?
  1. What does Thoreau think of majority rule? Why are the majority allowed the freedom to rule?
  1. What does Thoreau say is his ONLY obligation?
  1. Paraphrase the statement, “As they could not reach me, they had resolved to punish my body”. What then is Thoreau’s “me”?
  1. Did Thoreau’s night in jail change his perception of Concord? How/why? (261)
  1. Is this article optimistic or pessimistic about human nature? How is this characteristic of the Transcendentalists? What did they believe?