Emerson's Self Reliance

[HollyinNNV]

Capitalization-Why are some of the words capitalized? Is it to somehow "humanize" or "personalize" the words?

I'm leading a discussion of this work tomorrow. Is there anything that is a "must-discuss" within this work. I was just planning on going line-by-line in a pretty straightforward way.

Then I can give a writing assignment based on Self-Reliance (or not). Any suggestions on that? BTDT prompts that worked? These are pretty advanced writers.

TIA!!!
Holly in N NV

[kathleen]

I just taught this essay and (and two others of Emerson's) last week. Here are some questions to get started, and they can serve as prompts for a paper, too (some of them, anyway). These came from this site (http://www.transcendentalists.com/self_reliance_analysis.htm). Scroll down a bit until you get to "some questions to think about."

I don't know if you're teaching from a Christian perspective or not (I am), but if so, you can take some of Emerson's ideas or quotes (such as "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do") and evaluate them from a Biblical perspective. This, "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string" is another good one for that.

[HollyinNNV]

That site is very helpful. Since I am assigning Civil Disobedience next week, it is doubly helpful.

Thanks so much!
Holly