Today...

Small groups...

Share your essay thesis and explain why the claim you made is supported by the text. Don't just share quotes - explain why you believe they support your interpretation of Emerson's view.

Is Emerson simply preaching a "You're not the boss of me" or "If it feels good, do it" philosphy?

What, if anything in Self-Reliance, is to prevent his essay from simply inspiring people to embrace a self-centered, selfish, my-way-or the highway approach to living?

Emerson tells us in about a dozen ways that we should be self-reliant, but why? Why should he trust us to trust ourselves? 

What does a self-reliant person have to get in touch with in order to tap into their true power? Where does Emerson tell us?

How does someone get in touch with their deepest understanding? Does Emerson give any any hints? 

This weekend,

·        Do the Emerson’s Tweet’s activity provided as link in the Self-Reliance Close Reading. The last part of the exercise has you creating three tweets of your own based on specific lines from Self-Reliance. Please bring your three tweets in on Monday (handwritten or typed);

·        begin reading Civil Disobedience (pp. 1-18) in Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. I suggest reading 1-9 this weekend and finishing 10-18 in class on Monday.