10/14/10

Today in class we talked about Emerson and Thoreau. At first we got our brains going with a quick journal about a perspective piece on a picture, and we went around and shared our ideas. I liked the idea of the horse pens in a race; when you looked at it the picture seemed like it was just that. Then, we discussed Thoreau and Emerson, each of us having to research and find a quote that we felt resonated with us. I really liked the quotes because many of them talked about self reliance and independence. Both Emerson and Thoreau remind me a little of Ayn Rand. Although they were from different time periods, I think that their writings both covered the ideas of individualism, self-sufficiency, and a fierce will to be independent. This Thoreau quote that I used, "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor," reminds me of this Ayn Rand quote "The most depraved type of human being ... (is) the man without a purpose." Both quotes have a similar idea of being aware of who we are and aware of where we stand. Although we did not have a formal class discussion, I think that everyone learned a little from one another, just by seeing our quotes (we found out what really resonated with each other), and by our quick warm up in the beginning. It is always nice to see what our peers think, and I believe that today was a great example of that.