An Emersonian Hero?

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been in the news many times over the past few weeks. Whether it be for his alleged rape in Sweden or his impact World Wide with WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is an international news media non-profit organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous news sources and news leaks. The most noteworthy of these submissions is the publishing of the first 291 of 251,287 leaked confidential documents. While none of these documents were Top Secret they do have lasting political consequences. During one of our earlier units we studied Emerson and his beliefs in depth. Do you believe Assange is a hero based on the Emersonian beliefs we studied? Why or why not?

Technology and Transcendentalism in the 21st Century

Transcendentalism toady is still very prominent, a very important aspect in the 21st century that relates to it involves technology. I believe all the technological advancements have both complimented and contradicted the ideas of the Transcendentalists. Anybody that has access to this technology such as blogs, social networks, etc. can put their ideas out for the rest of the world to view, critique, and refine. However, doing this also makes it easier for people to take the ideas of others instead of putting their own input into them before claiming it as their own. Technology has also taken over many tasks that humans have done themselves, some for the better and worse of human kind. For example, text messaging and e-mail has made it easier for people far away to communicate, but at the same time it is less special opposed to a visit in person or a simple phone call, which would be more along the traits of transcendentalism. If people only used technology in a way to exercise the positive aspects or many constructive traits of transcendentalism, the present day would benefit greatly.

Elections and American Exceptionalism

In case you're interested, here's an interesting editorial about American exceptionalism that relates pretty directly to what we discussed early on this trimester (and to today's election).

21st Century Transcendentalism Importance?

In today's society, I believe that Transcendentalist thought still offers some important values. It is important to countenance individuality, especially due to the forced conformity in today's culture. In the 21st century, there is a lack of compromise that makes individuality meaningless. If we don't utilize individual thoughts, society will become very conformed. Although it is important to have order in society, it is not necessary to be conformed. This is where it is essential to differ in Transcendentalist beliefs and applying Transcendentalist thought to modern day. Although Transcendentalism offers some good values, such as the importance of valuing nature, it also calls for anarchy. I do not believe anarchy is beneficial in today's society. But if we are able to separate the good beliefs of Transcendentalism from the bad, I believe it could help our world greatly.

Transcendentalism Today

I think that Transcendentalism is still very relevant today. Some of the qualities such as the advocacy of anarchy are impractical but I think that they "self-reliance" component is very important. With all of the information available to us, via television, and the Internet, it is of the utmost importance that we all step back and evaluate this information for ourselves. It is so easy to accept what we have been told, and adopts it as our own. But through this construction, we may have beliefs that are not true, and we may not even really believe in them negating their strength. I have this fear that someday our world will be filled with people who never learned to think for themselves and only allowed themselves to be swayed by ostentatious presentation, and in this world, change will be made by a few people instead of many, leading to a corrupt world. I think that utilizing transcendentalism could help us avoid this dangerous path.

Round D Cloggers

What aspect of Transcendentalist thought do you think we most need to pay attention to in the 21st century? Why? Feel free to revise/edit the journal you wrote in class about Transcendentalism for this clog. (And remember to post your response as a new entry, not as a comment.)

The Scarlet Letter to me did not move me in any extraordinary way. Although I recognized and admired the strength of Hester as a character, I think that at times her redemption in Puritan society is unrealistic. In the beginning of the novel the extreme Puritan punishment of Hester seems to contradict the sympathetic view of her later in the novel. Furthermore, I do not believe that this novel is a good representation of American ideals because of the emphasis on symbolic reasoning. Throughout this novel Hawthorne portrayed Puritan society as somewhat selfish and self centered. Their interpretation of external phenomena repeatedly focus’s on the individual, rather than the community or simply the realistic nature of the world. This theme of selfishness through their view of external phenomenon I believe is a poor portrayal of our society today.

Scarlet Letter

Although I did find some parts of the Scarlet Letter to be dense, overall i enjoyed the book. I personally thought Hester's situation to be very inspiring. Even after being tormented and frowned upon by everyone in society, she perseveres through her problems and eventually overcomes them. Hester also, however, discovers more about herself after she is considered an outcast, and her sin actually allowed her to expand as a person and learn about who she truly was. Hester was able to grow from her mistakes and in the end become a better person. I believe this is a concept everyone can relate to; learning about yourself through your own mistakes. For that reason I found Hester to be a character that many people could relate to. For that reason I think that it should remain required reading, as the high school students who read the story can learn from Hester and her situation and apply the story into their own lives.

Scarlet Letter Reflection

Although in some aspects The Scarlet Letter was a dense and slow read, the story has an uplifting message of perseverance and dedication, but maybe just a little too uplifting. I think that Hawthorne is overly optimistic about Hester's reintegration into society. After her stay in prison, she was viewed as an outcast, yet slowly over a period of seven years, the community is starting to welcome her back. They even go as far as to propose removing her scarlet letter. It seems that the reason the scarlet letter was given to Hester in the first place was to remind both herself, as well as the townspeople, of her sin. Puritan culture is very critical of sinners and it would be hard to believe that they would shrug off Hester's wrongdoings so quickly. Despite Hawthorne's optimistic plot, he still composes a stirring novel based on Hester's tolerance and acceptance of her position in society and her stuggles as an adulteress. I think itis for that reason that this book should be required reading for high school students. Hester is the perfect example of how tolerance, acceptance and perseverance can pay off. This is an excellent message to high schoolers as they struggle with grades, peer pressure and social interactions.

Final Thoughts on The Scarlet Letter

Personally, I was moved by Hester's perseverance and her patience of 7 years. Her strength to endure never ending hardship also emphasized the feministic theme of the novel. The feminism portrayed in the novel was unique. Hatred towards men, believing that women should be paid the same as men, and thinking that men violated women's rights, which are stereotypical feminist's opinion are not embraced in the Scarlet letter. Rather than actively protesting towards unfair treatment, Hester acknowledged her sin and contributed for the society even with facing her own difficulties. Without leaving Massachusetts, Hester lived with people's ignorance towards herself for 7 years. Then, she changed her reputation of "Adultery" to "Able" and "Angel". In the novel, we cannot find any part which describes Hester's outer resistance towards her society. She changed her reputation with only silence. This explains to us how powerful a woman Hester was and it gave me the biggest impression through the novel. I think all American high school students need to read the Scarlett Letter. It indirectly shows the background of Puritan society and how the towns in the New England settlement, which has close relationship with our history.

Round C Cloggers

I'd like to hear your final thoughts on The Scarlet Letter. Write about what moves you and/or consider this question: Why is this considered a "great American novel"? Should it be? Should every high school student in the country have to read it (as is currently pretty much the case)?

"Scandalous" behavior similar to Hester Prynne's is still looked down upon in modern society. Celebrities are frequently criticized for scandalous behavior which leads them being publicly shamed. This in many ways is similar to the way that the townspeople shun Hester Prynne and criticize her actions. On a much smaller level, promiscuous behavior committed by a student in high school will be criticized and may cause people to exclude or shun the person because of their behavior. The Puritan society of The Scarlet Letter judges Hester's behavior more harshly than it would be judged nowadays however. In some ways, women are judged more harshly for promiscuity than men because modern society's expectations for women's behavior involve women being much more chaste than men. The expectations for men's behavior condones behavior like Hester's and in some ways glorifies it.

Round B Cloggers, if you're not sure what you'd like to post on, consider the following:

Hester Prynne is shunned by members of her society for her "scandalous" behavior. Does this still happen to people in our (modern) world? In what ways are our society's responses to scandal similar to those of Hester's society? In what ways are they different? And do you think there women are judged more harshly than men in our society? Explain and give examples.

Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not?

I believe that in many ways, America is an exceptional nation. Our beginnings are fairly unusual. How many nations have the ability to start with a clean slate and truly select how they are going to live? In the past centuries, America has continued to stand out from other nations in our economic and military power. However, unlike Winthrop, I do not believe that America is a nation of chosen people destined to be an example to all the world. While today, we are among the most powerful nations in the world, our time will pass as it did for the Spanish, the British, and other past super-powers. We are a country made up of remarkable people: entrepreneurs, leaders, artists, and of course, farmers, but we have no predetermined destiny or any particular right to dominate over other nations. To believe so is dangerous. In the colonial days, this was reflected in settlers using Manifest Destiny as justification for taking land from the Native Americans. Today, the American belief that we are exceptional can be seen in our invasion of Iraq to install our own and (in our eyes) superior form of government. While there are many wonderful and unique things about our country, this does not give us any extra rights or privileges compared to other countries.

"Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not?

America is a country that has risen from a humble beggening to being a a powerful country. There are opertuniteis offered in America that arn't offered anywhere else in the world. It is one of the wealthyist most influential contries in the world. If this is how you define exeptional then America is exeptional. However, these are not the only criteria I use to look at American exeptionalism. I do not beleive that America is the City upon a Hill that Winthrope proclaimed it to be. Bigotry is still common in America. Prejudices, supposedly wiped out with the Civil War, are still common throughout the country. In every city, homeless can be found on the streets. People die every day because they cant afford healthcare. In many countries these problems wouldn't occur because every citizen has healthcare is. America has come a long way from its humble roots however it still has a far way to go before it becomes truly exceptional.

Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not? (Try to reference Winthrop and/or Crèvecoeur in your response, please).

When I think about this question, I have a double reaction to it. On one hand, I agree with Crèvecoeur and Winthrop in that as a young, brand new (to the Europeans, at least) continent, America held and still holds a lot of potential and opportunity. Like Crèvecoeur, I appreciate the Puritan work ethic, the opportunities that lay in America, and the melting pot of cultures that became America. On the other hand, I cannot go as far as Winthrop and Crèvecoeur in their praise of America. They both portray America as the golden society, or the chosen land. Like I said, I think America has a lot going for it, but there is also great value in the long, rich histories of older countries. To ignore these values because of a belief that America is perfect is, I think, a serious issue. There is so much to learn from European history, and I think that America could learn from the old world’s “experience,” so to speak. Also, if a group of people does not believe they can have flaws, then they have no potential for improvement. That belief in perfection is, as I see it, a flaw in itself.

American Literature CLOG: Prompt for Round 1-A

American Literature CLOG: Prompt for Round 1-A: "Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not? (Try to reference Winthrop and/or Crèvecoeur in your response, please)."

America is certainly exceptional. There are numerous reasons why America is so exceptional from democracy to religious freedom. Many people reference America as a global melting plot. This is because so many people from so many different cultures all come to America. Why do they come to this marvelous destination? The simplest reason is that one has more freedom here than anywhere else. As noted by both Winthrop and Crevecoeur, America offers infinate opportunities for all of it's people. All of the prestigious opportunities this country offers is great but what people like most about America is the abundant ingenuity and the uncomplicated lifestyle also noted by Crevecoeur.

Prompt for Round 1-A

Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not? (Try to reference Winthrop and/or Crèvecoeur in your response, please).

Welcome!

I hope you all will find this class blog to be a fun place for virtual conversations about American Literature, and that these virtual conversations will translate into many interesting real-life exchanges in class this year.