Study Blog Post

Study for test. Please post one study question on the American Literature Blog AND answer (or add to already posted answer) to one of your classmate's question. (To do so, you will have to REPLY to a COMMENT)

Would Emerson Approve of Proctor Academy?

As pairs, please post your carefully crafted thesis statements on the question, "Would Emerson approve of Proctor Academy?" in the comments section below.

Emerson: "American Scholar" Post

Would Emerson approve? In this blog response, I’d like you to look at Proctor Academy through the eyes of Emerson. How does the school both foster and hinder a Romantic/Transcendental outlook on life – through its classes, experiential programs, schedule, sports offerings, social life, rules, etc.? When writing this response, please pay particular attention to the central aspirations and beliefs that Emerson espouses in his essays “Nature,” “Self-Reliance,” and “The American Scholar.” Specifically, I want to you to describe two or more aspects of Proctor you think Emerson would approve of and at least one aspect that you think he would disapprove of. Overall, do you think Emerson would approve of Proctor Academy? Why or why not. (Please take some time to craft your response. Responses should be 10-20 sentences long, roughly two paragraphs. Please include at least two short quotations in your response to back up your points).

Inequality Extra Credit Assignment

After reading to THIS Washington Post article, please write a 10 sentence response linking the article to the writings of at least one Founding Father (who we've read). There is no specific question that you have to answer for this post, I just want you to respond in some way (for at least 10 sentences). Please use at least one direct quotation in your response and comment on at least one other comment in the comments stream (if you are first in the comments stream, you can skip this step).

Emerson Blog Post

Pick out two important passages from either Emerson's essay "Nature" or from "Self-Reliance" that help you understand American Romanticism and/or Transcendentalism in some way. Write down your quotations in the comments section and write a paragraph (6-10 sentences) explaining how this quotation relates to one of the qualities of American Romanticism and/or Transcendentalism as explained in the "American Romanticism Overview" or the "Transcendentalism Overview" in your American Literature Reader. Do not write about a quotation someone has already written about previously in the comments stream.

American Dream Blog Post

Watch the following video, "Silver and Light," and name two essential aspects of the American Dream. Please give at least one clear example for each of the qualities that you mention. The trick to this assignment is that you will not receive credit for mentioning a quality that has previously been mentioned in the comments stream. Please write using clear, grammatically correct sentences. No shorthand. No lists.

American Dream from Ian Ruhter : Alchemist on Vimeo.