Transcendentalism Journal

Man and nature are both inherently good

Organized religion, higher education, and political mandates lessen both an individual’s and a society’s strength

Man is at its best when being self-reliant

• Man can find truth only through introspectiveness and personal experience

• Human problems can be solved through the development of individual emotions

Journal Entry 13Using the beliefs of the

transcendentalists (listed on the right), write about one belief of theirs with

which you either strongly agree or disagree.

Be specific with your explanation(s)/example(s).

When done with your journal entry, get out the 10 questions due today. Ensure your name and hour are on top and get ready to turn them in.

Henry

Dav

id T

horeau1817-1

862

Thoreau: A Brief Biography

Born in Concord, MA in 1817

His family was quite poor

He attend Harvard (graduated in 1837)

He died in Concord, MA in 1862

Thoreau’s childhood home

Thoreau’s relationship with Emerson

The two met at Harvard: Emerson quickly became Thoreau’s mentor

Emerson was the first to encourage Thoreau to write, and he provided Thoreau with valuable criticism

After Harvard, Emerson hired Thoreau as a gardener and handyman (this afforded Thoreau with the funds and time to focus on his writing)

Emerson taught Thoreau about the transcendentalist philosophy

Thoreau’s Walden Thoreau’s most famous work

• One of the most widely read works of nonfiction still today

• One of the most commonly quoted works of American Literature

It was inspired by his year spent living alone just off the shore of Walden Pond

• He lived there from July 1845 until Sept. 1847

• He insisted that his time living alone was an experiment in simple living and not a withdrawal from society

Thoreau’s cabin at Walden Pond:

Size: 10’ x 15’

It had two secondhand windows, a door, and a simple brick fireplace

It held a desk, a small table, three chairs, and a rope-bed

In the back was a small covered area to house wood

Thoreau’s Published Works

He published two books in his lifetime:• Walden

• A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

Four books were published after his death:• Excursions

• The Maine Woods

• Cape Cod

• A Yankee in Canada

Thoreau & Civil Disobedience Thoreau was one of the most influential spokesmen

for civil disobedience, the deliberate and public

refusal to obey a law

In 1846, he spent a night in jail for refusing to pay

taxes

• He argued that he did not owe allegiance to a

government that captured runaway slaves and waged

war on Mexico to expand its area of slavery

In his most famous essay, “On the Duty of Civil

Disobedience,” he declared that people should

refuse to obey any law they believe is unjust

Thoreau’s Influence

Thoreau influenced the works and actions of many authors and public rights activists, including (but not limited to):

• Leo Tolstoy of Russia

• Mohandas Gandhi of India

• Martin Luther King, Jr. and most other leaders of the American civil rights movement

DUE TOMORROW

Answer the two questions that ask you draw personal connections to Walden.

This will be your ‘ticket in the door’.