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SPRINGBOARD Activity 1.5 Historic Pathways to the American Dream

SPRINGBOARD Activity 1.5 Historic Pathways to the American Dream. Students will: …identify and evaluate the philosophical , religious, ethical, and social influences that shaped the literature of a period.

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SPRINGBOARD Activity 1.5 Historic Pathways to the American Dream

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  1. SPRINGBOARD Activity 1.5Historic Pathways to the American Dream Students will: • …identify and evaluate the philosophical, religious, ethical, and social influences that shaped the literature of a period. • …extrapolate from primary sources to construct an understanding of a philosophical viewpoint. • …analyze purpose and historical contextin varied sources and evaluate the usefulness of those sources. • …research and identify primary source documents that exemplify philosophical viewpoints.

  2. I don’t even want to see them! If I SEE them, I will take them!

  3. What was their viewpoint? • What is their view of God? • What are their values? • Do they have an optimistic view of life? • What are their views of work and worldly success? • Who is their authority? • Do they view man as inherently good or evil? • How do they define the American Dream? • Which values of this group are still prevalent today?

  4. Group 3: TRANSCENDENTALISTS(see notes on handout) • What is their view of God? Pantheists who view that the Universe (Nature) and god (or divinity) are identical. They did not believe in a personal or creator god. • What are their values? Nature, intuition • Do they have an optimistic or pessimistic view of life? Optimistic • What are their views of worldly success? Success is measured by man’s correct relationship to his work. • Who is their authority? God is omnipresent and omniscient. • Do they view man as inherently good or evil? Man is divine and shares this divinity with all life. • How do they define the American Dream? • Which values of this group are still prevalent today?

  5. Transcendentalists(see notes on handout) • Directions: Identify all that apply to the Transcendentalists’ philosophy. • _____ 1. Education is important primarily to increase one’s self-knowledge. • _____ 2. Individuals’ rights are superior to the needs of society. • _____ 3. Belief in God has been characteristic of the American Experience. • _____ 4. Mankind is basically evil. • _____ 5. Education is important primarily to get a job. • _____ 6. Truth is found in faith. • _____ 7. Human beings are basically good and getting better. • _____ 9. Individual liberties must always be controlled by government authority. • _____ 10. Truth can be found in science. • _____ 11. The American Dream means making lots of money. • _____ 12. Hard work equals success. • _____ 13. Everyone can achieve the American Dream. • _____ 14. The American Dream includes getting married and having children.

  6. What was their viewpoint? Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson – Self Reliance Emerson Shmoop

  7. Mapof Concord Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main Points • Self reliance can be defined as the bringing into the light one’s inner views on what is true and meaningful, and in the process enriching an entire community through diversity. • “The power which resided in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he tries.” • Emerson calls for greater self-reliance, “a new respect for the divinity in man,” bringing “revolutionary” change in all relations – religion and prayer, education and literature, pursuits, modes of living, property and views, and associations. • In Emerson’s time, America still looked to Europe for its art, architecture, literature, instead of developing it’s own. He believed that by adopting the talent of another, one could only claim only half possession. He was critical of Americans for not using their God-given individuality to become more than mere imitators.

  8. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main Points • True happiness and fulfillment can only come through a recognition of one’s own uniqueness, talent and effort. • Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide. It’s only when a person puts his heart into his work and does his best that he is truly happy and at peace. • Do not be ashamed to speak your unique thoughts, “divine idea[s]” rather than quoting the words of some former “saint or sage”. Roses do not make reference to former roses, but “exist [perfectly] with God today.” • Actions should be genuine, honest and natural. Don’t be afraid of being inconsistent -- genuine action will explain itself over time, just as the zigzag path of a ship’s voyage seen over a distance straightens itself.

  9. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main Points • Truth comes from within and lies beyond or “transcends” the knowledge we obtain from our senses. Trust in the truth, in your intuition. • Accept your place in the world and do not cower in a corner, hemmed in by conformity. Be a nonconformist. An infant conforms to no one. The world conforms to it. • Do not give to causes that you do not believe in, just because you feel society expects it. Trust yourself. • There will be those who think they know your duty better than you do. Trust yourself. • Do not be concerned about what others think. Trust that you have the innate wisdom from God within. • Become intuitive and in touch with yourself. “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

  10. Emerson’s Birthplace Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main Points • Emerson advocates independence not only of thought but also of action. Society continually changes, do not let these changes encumber your virtue. • When a man builds a coach, he loses the use of his feet. If one uses crutches, he loses muscle support. He wears a watch and forgets how to tell time by the sun. • Emerson believed that reliance on property and the government to protect it was a lack in self-reliance. Men have looked away from themselves at things too long and now measure each other by what he has not by what he is. • Emerson describes dependence on foreign goods as leading to a “slavish respect for numbers.” • Emerson recognized men’s gamble with Fortune, gaining and losing all, but concludes that nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

  11. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Historical Significance • Self-Reliance [1841], had a great impact on Emerson’s society, becoming his most well-known essay. Self-Reliance, together with Nature, established Emerson as a writer and lecturer. He became regarded as the founder of the Transcendental movement, a distinctly American philosophy emphasizing optimism, individuality, and mysticism. He was one of the most influential literary figures of the nineteenth century. • As a result of the new philosophy introduced in Self-Reliance, America developed literature and art uniquely different from any other country in the world and established for the first time America’s place in the world of art and literature. Emerson, through his writing of Self-Reliance, had an impact on future generations also. He became an inspiration to such writers as Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. Today, portions of Self-Reliance have been so quoted that many are now cliché. The philosophy of individual independence has, to some extent, become the American way. • Self-Reliance had a significant impact not only on American writers and artists, but also on Unitarians and the liberally religious opening them to science, Eastern religions and a naturalistic mysticism. In addition to group impact, Self-Reliance, had an impact on the individual American, inspiring him to listen to and heed the still, small voice of God within. • The impact of Self-Reliance and the subsequent Transcendental movement was one of supreme importance extending a challenge to Americans to use their God-given talents for the betterment of the individual and thus the community. It proved to be a positive, lasting, truly American change.

  12. Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Young American Ralph Waldo Emerson • Born May 25, 1803 Boston, MA - Died April 27, 1882 Concord, MA. • American essayist, philosopher, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. • In October 1817, at fourteen, Emerson went to Harvard College and was appointed the Freshman's President. • Tutored and taught during the winter vacation at his Uncle Ripley's school in Waltham, Massachusetts. • Over the next several years, Emerson made his living as a schoolmaster, then went to Harvard Divinity School. • Anonymously published his first essay, Nature, in September 1836. • August 31, 1837, Emerson delivered his now-famous Phi Beta Kappa address, "The American Scholar". • He was denounced as an atheist, and a poisoner of young men's minds for discounting Biblical miracles and proclaiming that, while Jesus was a great man, he was not God.

  13. Read “Self Reliance” Springboard page 25 • Read the “translation” of Self-Reliance by Adam Khan • (white paper handout) • Complete the Transcendentalist Packet (blue) on your own! • Icebergs (Parts 1, 2 and 3) • CER – Claim, Evidence and Reasoning • Write a paragraph that answers: • How are the values of the Transcendentalists evident in “Self Reliance?” • Write at least 3 sentences in response to this prompt. • Make sure you state your claim—What values are evident. • Be sure to support your answer with evidence from either passage. • Your answer MUST include “quotes from the passage • WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, turn in ALL 3 packets and read the article “What it’s like to live in an 84 Square foot house.”

  14. Students Will: • Understand and define the concept of the American Dream. • Identify and synthesize a variety of perspectives that exist about the American Dream.

  15. SpringboardActivity 1.5-TranscendentalistsSelf Reliance (SB p 25) • What does it (the text) say? Consider summarizing in a few sentences. • 2. What does it (the text) mean? What is the point of the text? Why did the author write it? Consider starting your response with, “The author wrote ______ to demonstrate/show /clarify /illustrate /relate…” • 3.Why does it (the text) matter? What does it contribute to society? How does it define a subset of humanity? How does it relate to us as a species? CONCEPT MAP

  16. SpringboardActivity 1.5-TranscendentalistsSelf Reliance (SB p 25) Directions: Complete the following mandatory prewriting before you write your final draft.

  17. SpringboardActivity 1.5-TranscendentalistsSelf Reliance (SB p 25) Directions: Complete the following mandatory prewriting before you write your final draft.

  18. SpringboardActivity 1.5SAQ/Short Answer Question How are the values of the Transcendentalistsevident in “Self Reliance?” Support your answer with evidence from the excerpt. Answer the prompt in the box below. Do not write outside the box; do not draw additional lines or skip lines inside the box. CONCEPT MAP

  19. SpringboardActivity 1.5SAQ/Short Answer Question • How are the values of the Transcendentalists evident in “Self Reliance?” Support your answer with evidence from the excerpt. Answer the prompt in the box below. Do not write outside the box; do not draw additional lines or skip lines inside the box. CONCEPT MAP

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