Bright Romanticism: American Individualism

In "Civil Disobedience," what is Thoreau's view of the state at the end of the essay?

(NOT) He thinks the state does not appreciate individual worth.

Which statement best describes the imagery in Chapter I of Nature and in Society and Solitude?

Both use a majority of natural images.

Based on Thoreau's opinion about the Mexican-American War and slavery in the United States, why did he most likely refuse to pay the poll taxes, as described in "Civil Disobedience"?

He disagreed with the government's actions.

What attitude toward the stars does Emerson express in the first paragraph of Chapter I of Nature?

He feels they represent awe-inspiring beauty.

Which would be the best way of describing the structure of Thoreau's observations in "Civil Disobedience"?

He moves from a consideration of his surroundings to an evaluation of the state as a whole.

Read the quotation from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." The Carriage held but just Ourselves - And Immortality. What is the effect of the phrase "but just Ourselves" in the lines above?

It conveys the personal nature of the speaker's journey.

Read the lines from "Auspex." Woe's me, I shall be lonely When I can feel no longer The impatience of their wings! Which best describes the effect of the expression "Woe's me"?

It heightens the sense of loss in the poem.

How does the first-person point of view in both "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" and "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" help communicate the ideas presented in the poems?

It makes the experiences and feelings described easier to sympathize with.

Based on evidence of his personality in "Civil Disobedience," what effect would a longer jail stay most likely have had on Thoreau?

It would have hardened his resolve to assert his rights.

Read the lines from "A Psalm of Life." In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, What does the poet suggest about human life with the images in these lines?

Life is an eternal struggle.

A clergyman is an official leader within an organized religion. Why does Dickinson call God "a noted Clergyman" in "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?

She is poking gentle fun by suggesting that God is the supreme clergy.

What does "Civil Disobedience" suggest about the public opinion of tax evasion in Thoreau's time?

(NOT) Tax evasion was only a moderate crime.

Which statement best summarizes the fourth paragraph of Chapter I of Nature?

Truly experiencing and absorbing the beauty of nature can have a healing effect on the mind and body

Which best describes the tone that the first stanza of "A Psalm of Life" sets for the rest of the poem?

hopeful and determined

How do "A Psalm of Life" and "Auspex" differ in how they describe the concept of time?

"Psalm" suggests that the passage of time cannot defeat the soul, while "Auspex" indicates that it can.

Read the excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and what he touches. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to their influence. Emerson claims that stars are similar to dreams by stating they are ______________________________________________________

"always present, they are inaccessible"

Why is the image of the setting sun most likely not described in great detail in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"?

(NOT) It is not a significant aspect of the mood created within the poem.

How does the second stanza of "Auspex" tie the first and third stanzas together?

(NOT) It offers a break in thought from the subject matter of the first and third stanzas.

Which statement would be included in a summary of the first paragraph of Chapter I of Nature?

(NOT) Looking at the stars in the city makes them seem impressive.

Which statement best summarizes the final two paragraphs of Chapter I of Nature?

(NOT) One may appreciate the great beauty of nature but is unable to fully understand it.

Which statement best describes Emerson's opinion of communities, according to the first paragraph of Society and Solitude?

(NOT) People live in communities for the purpose of friendship, but nothing else is gained from them.

Read the lines from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground - What image does the language in these lines create?

(NOT) The language suggests an image of gloom and foreboding.

According to the third paragraph of Chapter I of Nature, how does Emerson define the poet's view of nature?

(NOT) The poet is the only one who notices humans' effect on nature.

How are the speakers' sense of goals different in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church"?

(NOT) The speaker in the former thinks that she may never reach her goal, while the speaker in the latter is far more confident.

What do the stanzas in "A Psalm of Life" have in common?

(NOT) They explain the different parts of a thing.

What does each stanza in "Auspex" show?

(NOT) several interpretations of the same issue (YES) the different stages of a natural process

In "Civil Disobedience," what does Thoreau think about right after he wonders if he could have been of service to his community?

(NOT) that imprisoning him would not solve the problem

In "Civil Disobedience," what is Thoreau's last thought about the state before he loses respect for it?

He thinks the state can't tell its friends from its enemies.

Based on "Civil Disobedience," what statement did Thoreau, like his modern-day successors, hope to make with his imprisonment?

He wanted to suggest that one should be willing to go to great lengths for a belief.

Read the quotation from "A Psalm of Life." Let the dead past bury its dead! What is the effect of the repetition of the word "dead" in this line?

It reinforces the idea that one should live in the present, not in the past.

In "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church," why does the speaker say that she has "an Orchard, for a Dome" in the first stanza?

She is suggesting that nature can serve the same purpose as a church.

Which statement best describes how the tone of Society and Solitude is different from the tone of Chapter I of Nature?

Society and Solitude has a contemplative tone, while Nature has a more lyrical and whimsical tone.

How is the concept of solitude portrayed in both Society and Solitude and Chapter I of Nature?

Solitude is viewed as a source of strength.

How are the moods of "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church" different?

The former has a serious mood, while the latter has a lighter mood.

Read the lines from "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." And I had put awayMy labor and my leisure too,For His Civility - What is the purpose of the words "labor" and "leisure"?

They are aspects of life that the speaker is leaving.

Considering "Civil Disobedience," which best describes how Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. both felt about acts of civil disobedience?

They both believed that individuals have the right and the responsibility to protest unjust laws.

Based on his transcendental beliefs and "Civil Disobedience," it is most reasonable to assume that Thoreau

believed following his conscience was more important than following the law.

Read the first stanza of "Auspex." My heart, I cannot still it,Nest that had song-birds in it;And when the last shall go,The dreary days to fill it,Instead of lark or linnet,Shall whirl dead leaves and snow. The speaker compares his heart to an empty nest in order to

emphasize the fact that his love has left.

Read the lines from "A Psalm of Life." Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time. The imagery in the lines suggests that

great deeds are remembered in history.

Read the first stanza of "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church." Some keep the Sabbath going to Church - I keep it, staying at Home - With a Bobolink for a Chorister - And an Orchard, for a Dome - What does the use of the words "orchard" and "dome" suggest?

that the speaker is able to see and feel her faith in everything that surrounds her