Download Transcendentalist Activity 2016

Transcendentalism Journal/Descriptive Paragraph (double daily grade)
What do you think about the Transcendentalist lifestyle? Is it something that could apply to our world
today? Your assignment is to choose five Transcendentalist traits from the list below. Then you will
conduct your own Transcendentalist experiment by incorporating each characteristic more fully into
your life over the course of one day (five days total). You don’t have to live like a Transcendentalist all
day long, but you do want to take a period of time each day to commit to this experience. Be sure to
choose traits and activities that will pull you out of your everyday routine. This is an experiment, so
you want to deliberately choose to engage in the Transcendentalist way of life. Activities that you
would do anyway don’t count as part of the experiment. Below are the traits as well as suggestions
for how to implement them.
Nature – Spend more time outside. Walk. Garden. Bike. Sit and think. Eat a leisurely meal or snack
outside in a quiet place. You can do this in your yard or at the park. (You don’t need to feel obligated
to have a perfectly pure experience away from cars and trains and planes.)
Individualism – Speak out when you would normally stay silent. Go against the crowd. Follow your
own ideas. Disagree in a class discussion or state an opinion that goes against that of your friends.
Stretch yourself here. Do something a little more courageous than usual.
Conscience – Be honest. Make sure all decisions are based on the strictest personal integrity.
Remember Thoreau’s principle: It is not your duty to eradicate even the greatest wrong, but you must
at least wash your hands of it. Identify a moral problem in society that you may contribute to. This
could be a small issue like gossip or family arguments or a major problem like climate change. Then,
give up your part in this problem. Stop gossiping, for example, or walk places instead of driving.
Simplicity – Give up your iPod, your television, your computer (except for school-related purposes, of
course). Slow down and renounce unnecessary activities. Go to bed with lights out by 10 PM.
Solitude – Spend time alone. Walk. Go outside. Meditate. Do not read or text or get on the computer.
Be alone with your thoughts in an enjoyable way. Don’t just go into your room, shut the door, and
stare at the ceiling. Find a pleasant environment.
Manual labor – Weed the garden. Wash the car. Make something. Work with your hands. Take a
before and after picture.
As you go through your experiment, you will be required to keep a journal of your activities that also
contains at least one photo. The journal is intended to help capture your immediate reflections and
observations with at least six sentences for each date using descriptive details. In the spirit of
Transcendentalism, try to make your journal individualistic. You may submit it in any format: typed on
regular paper, handwritten in a notebook, or any other creative way you can devise. Do what represents
you best.
Additionally, you will type a descriptive paragraph (10-12 sentences) about one of the activities from
your journal (in-class instruction and practice for descriptive writing will be provided).
Finally, please remember that we are trying to internalize the precepts of Transcendentalism, but we
want to do that in a safe way. Don’t do anything that would compromise your personal safety.