Transcendentalism Exercise

Laura Woolfolk - Free State High School English Department

 

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

                                                                                     -- Henry David Thoreau

 

1) If you live in the same city that you lived in as a child, go back to your elementary school playground and spend some time. (Even if you do not live in the same city, go to an elementary school playground.) It will have changed, but let your mind take you back to your happy times on the playground. Can you remember the last time you sat in the swings or climbed the monkey bars? Did you know that this would be the last time.

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2) Go for a late night walk (be smart and stay close to home-- no late nights in a park), and observe the sky, the trees, the sounds, and the smells. Use your senses (except for taste - duh). What do you see, hear, or smell that you haven't experienced before?

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3) Set your alarm for 5:00 a.m. and go outside and look at the stars. How many can you see? 

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4) Set your alarm for 6:00 a.m. and grab your coat and watch the sun come up. You must do this outside. What colors do you see? 

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5) Explore your own yard . . . every corner of it. What do you see that you haven't seen before? 

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6) Hike out to Free State Prairie and spend time walking the paths.  (Wear long pants and sturdy shoes, take water with you, and be wary of poison ivy, ticks, and sunburn. It’s good to be prepared!)  Listen to the sounds, smell the air, and examine all the different plants and animals closely.  What new organisms do you detect?  In what ways are those organisms like you?