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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Emerson turn his house into?

2. What did Emerson become interested in after discovering Hafiz?

3. What idea of Hegel's did Emerson discover on returning from Europe?

4. In what realization of Pythagoras' was Emerson interested?

5. Whose coffin did Emerson open toward the end of his life?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Emerson's relationship with Whitman.

2. Why, according to Richardson, was Emerson's mood dark while he was preparing for his lecture tour in England?

3. What was the significance of Emerson's first daughter's name?

4. What was Fourier's influence on Emerson's thinking?

5. How does Richardson characterize Emerson's fame?

6. How was Emerson's work changing as he reached his fortieth birthday, in Richardson's account?

7. What was Emerson's talk in Dartmouth like?

8. How does Richardson describe Emerson's home life in the 1850s?

9. What was Emerson's response to the invitation to join Brook Farm?

10. Describe Emerson's son's death and its effect on him.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think is Emerson's legacy, and who do you think embodies his ideas or messages today? Was his most important legacy his writing or his lectures, his life, or the legend of his personality? What lines have come from him, and who carries those lines now?

Essay Topic 2

What were the two or three main points in the process by which Emerson became Emerson? Which moments were most important? Which does Richardson identify? Which do you think are most important, and why?

Essay Topic 3

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

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This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample