Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Final Project

Create a PowerPoint presentation, or a 7-10 page paper that responds to the following prompt.

Do writers of the Transcendentalist period contribute to the making of a hegemonic or counter-hegemonic culture?

Choose two authors we have read for our unit on Transcendentalism to compare and contrast. Utilize pieces written by your authors, biographies of your authors, and other historical sources to support your conclusion.

Make sure you:
• Choose passages in authors’ writing that support your thesis, and discuss how they do so.
• Share some details or events of that historical time frame that have informed your authors’ ideas, arguments, or perspectives.
• Discuss any concepts, ideas, and details explored by your authors that are prevalent in today’s society.
• Draw connections between Gramsci’s discussion on superstructural institutions and the details of your authors’ pieces.
• Identify your authors’ statuses as either organic or traditional intellectuals, during the time of their writing.
• Draw connections between Gramsci’s ideology of spontaneous consent and details or themes in your authors’ pieces.


You must utilize at least one new piece written by at least one of your authors (or you may read additional chapters of Harriet Jacob’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if you choose Jacobs) as a source.

This final project is due Monday May 5th.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl


After reading the selected chapters in your anthology on Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, consider the following questions about identity and hegemony.

1. How does “Linda’s” identity shift throughout the course of her life?
2. At what points in her life do consent and non-consent play a role in her identity development?
3. How does “Linda's” struggle with virtue and morality compare to Emerson’s exploration of virtue?
4. What super structural institutions play a role in defining virtue and morality, and how does “Linda’s” relationship to these institutions play a role in her self-identity?
5. Does her identity resolution become founded in notions of hegemony or counter-hegemony?
6. How do the ideals of Transcendentalism compare to Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl?

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself"



Use your copy of “Song of Myself” and your notes on Whitman’s relationship to his readers and others in his poem to answer the following prompt in an essay.

By looking at Walt Whitman’s relationship to the reader and others described in his “Song of Myself,” what can we conclude about the intention or message of this poem? What literary strategies does he use to communicate his message? If given the fact that his readers today represent a diversity of socio-cultural experiences, do you personally believe this poem achieves Whitman’s own intentions? Why or why not?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

An Emersonian Gaze at Schooling



While reading "Self-Reliance," we've looked at some themes explored by Emerson:
1)Were does knowledge come from? Who produces knowledge?
2)What is non-conformity?
3)What is sacred?
4)What is truth?
5)What is virtue?
6) How does self-reliance transform the functions or characterizations of society's institutions?

We've also contrasted some of his ideals with today's schooling system. Choose one of these topics to expand on. What conclusions can we draw in terms of Emerson's ideals within a certain theme? If schools today were to adopt these ideals, what would our schooling system look like?

This should be written in MLA essay format and should be at least 2 pages long.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Ralph Waldo Emerson


"Life is our dictionary."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

After reading Emerson's speech, "American Scholar," answer the following questions as a comment:

How does Emerson's description of "Man Thinking" compare to Gramsci's understanding of the traditional and organic intellectual? Are there forms, sources, and understandings of knowledge that Emerson identify as forms of "spontaneous consent" as defined by Gramsci? What does Emerson describe as the ideal "social function" of the scholar? Is his image of the scholar a hegemonic or counter-hegemonic one?

Friday, April 4, 2008

Self in Society

In his introduction, Thoreau states his purpose in using the first person, an unconventional practice at the time, in Walden:
I should not talk so much about myself if there were any body else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience.
Throughout "Economy," we learn that although he centers his thought based on his own experiences at Walden, the majority of "Economy" consists of critiquing society during his time, and offering counter-narratives to conventional living and ethics.

Write a 3-5 page (double spaced and typed) personal narrative that critiques certain aspects of today's society. What personal experiences have you had that inform your critique of today's society? What are some counter-narratives you would offer your readers today? Thoreau's experience at Walden was an experiment to test and develop his analysis. What experience would you take or have you taken to develop your critique on society? Utilize at least three literary strategies from our list of literary tools on the right panel of this blog.
This essay is due April 7th.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

"What is the chief end of man?"

In Walden, Thoreau offers his reflection on various elements in conventional living during his time. Do his critiques reflect a hegemonic or counter-hegemonic ideology? After reading up to page 1788 in “Economy” from Walden, pick out three separate paragraphs from “Economy” that illustrate your interpretation of his work, using Gramsci’s theory of ideological hegemony. For each passage, write one paragraph that responds to the following questions:
1) What is he saying?
2) What are the literary strategies he is using to convey his message?
3) How does his message convey a hegemonic or counter-hegemonic ideological stance? Does he make reference to institutions that perpetuate certain forms of ideological consent?

Make sure you refer to page numbers and use direct quotes when discussing a specific sentence, line, or phrase. Also, remember to sign your post with your first name and your last initial so that you may receive credit!