October 24--Transcendentalism

I hope you're all enjoying reading Walden.  Ok, let me rephrase that so that I'll get a more positive response here: "I hope that all of you have found at least three sentences in Walden that resonate with you."  The 25 quotes will be due November 5 (we'll be studying Edgar Allan Poe and writing scary stories in the interim).

Today we will share our favorite Emerson quotes and find connections between his ideas and those of Thoreau.  We will also continue preparing for Thursday's Socratic Seminar, and then we will watch Dead Poets' Society.
As you watch the film, find 10 examples from the movie that reveal it's Transcendentalist world view.  Here are some characteristics of Transcendentalism to keep in mind:

         Transcendentalism

• praises individual worth over society
• shows contempt for attachment to social customs and habits
• belief in living in harmony with nature
• great dignity in manual labor; the common man is the true hero
• praise for the simple life; criticism for reliance on material possessions
• relationship with God should be personal
• value for revolutionary thoughts and ideas
• rejection of customs, especially traditional European ones
• focus on individual responsibility for developing a moral code
• value for intense feeling; Transcendentalists feel deeply and value that
• belief that Nature is the Great Teacher
• optimism

Write your ten examples and briefly state the connection to Transcendentalist ideas