English II
Transcendentalism - Study guide questions
Name: _______________
Emerson’s Nature (literature textbook, p. 186)
1. How do you know Emerson’s work “Nature” is transcendentalist? Provide a
quote to support your point.
2. How do your experiences with nature compare to those of Emerson’s? How is
nature a key symbol for Emerson? Point to a line where Emerson discusses his
experiences with nature to help your answer.
3. Do you agree or disagree with Emerson’s philosophy? Why?
Emerson’s Self-Reliance (literature textbook, p. 190)
List three of Emerson’s most powerful aphorisms or proverbs (short, powerful statements
from this essay – for example, “To be great is to be misunderstood!”) and explain how
each of these statements relates to your life and might offer you advice. (Use back, too)
1.
2.
3.
Emerson’s American Scholar
1. Why does Emerson urge scholars and students to be “Man Thinking?” What does
“Man Thinking” mean?
2. Why should scholars and students study nature? What can nature teach them that
books cannot?
3. What does Emerson mean when he says books are for “nothing but to inspire?” Do
you agree/disagree? Explain.
4. How would you summarize Emerson’s message in his address? Is his message overtly
bold or arrogant? Why or why not?
5. Choose four sentences which if taken out of context could strike the reader as
outlandish. How can we explain their inclusion in this essay? What is their effect?
Journal: Discuss if modern colleges reflect Emerson’s thinking in significant ways.
Which principles voice in “The American Scholar” figure in students’ think about
modern education?
Thoreau’s Walden
1. How does the opening paragraph of the selection indicate a transcendentalist view
of nature?
2. Why does Thoreau believe we need to simplify our lives? What quotes can you
identify that support his point of view? Do you agree/disagree with Thoreau that
details “fritter our lives away?” Why or why not? (Consider the paradox of the
railroad on the bottom of p. 204)
3. Where does Thoreau indicate the presence of the Over-Soul in nature?
4. Is Thoreau “Man-Thinking?” Why or why not? Consider his comment about the
“wild” fishermen.
5. Where does Thoreau emphasize the importance of the imagination?
6. Does Thoreau offer an optimistic view of the possibility of regeneration and
renewal? If so, where does he indicate this belief?
Journal
Consider Thoreau’s views on poverty. Is his call to “cultivate poverty” shallow and even
ignorant of the actual severity of poverty? “Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts” –
is Thoreau a pampered member of a liberal, middle-class society which allows him to
indulge adolescent gestures of rebellion while remaining indifferent to human misery?
Also, compare Thoreau to Chris McCandless from Into the Wild. Thoreau’s Walden was
a major source of inspiration for Chris.