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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. Why does Emerson say we distrust our sentiment?
2. What do others use to "compute our orbit"?
3. According to Emerson, what are heroes attended by?
4. Besides children, who does Emerson say God has armed with "piquancy and charm"?
5. What is Emerson describing when he states: "In your metaphysics you have denied personality to the Deity: yet when the devout motions of the soul come ... they should clothe God with shape and color"?
Short Essay Questions
1. In paragraph 10, Emerson gives a long account of exactly why he objects to conformity. His objection relates to personal "force" and the perception of character. Can you explain this objection?
2. Why do other members of society "need" us to be consistent according to Emerson in paragraph 12?
3. Why does Emerson hold Moses, Plato and Milton in such high regard?
4. In paragraph 38, Emerson explains the relationship between education and self-reliance. Describe this relationship.
5. In paragraph 22, Emerson explains God's way of communicating. Give a brief explanation of his theory.
6. Explain the opening quote to Emerson's essay, "Ne te quaesiveris extra" and why he uses it.
7. What does Emerson say in paragraph 29 about others having the power to annoy us?
8. What is Emerson's stance on philanthropy and charity?
9. At the beginning of paragraph 16, Emerson says that "of one will, the actions will be harmonious, however unlike they seem." Explain this quote.
10. At the beginning of paragraph 2, Emerson states: "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that ... no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil." Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In paragraph 25, Emerson writes: "When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; ... the way ... shall be wholly strange and new." Explain what Emerson means by this and use this idea to describe what Emerson believes a life of self-reliance is like.
Essay Topic 2
What is the relationship between art, literature and philosophy described by Emerson in "Self-Reliance"? Explain what Emerson says about the effects art and literature have on the way people form their own opinions and his opinion on the subject.
Essay Topic 3
What was the Transcendentalist movement? How does the essay "Self-Reliance" relate to the movement?
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This section contains 1,082 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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