Scenario:
You are an independent television
producer, specializing in the development and production of educational
documentary films on literature, history and culture. You have been asked to participate in the
development of a new documentary series by Ken Burns on American literature
from the age of exploration up to the beginning of the twentieth century. This
documentary will focus on how select writers during this period express
different views of what it means to be an American.
Audience:
you will present an analytical essay
on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works
to a committee that will decide whether to include the segment in the
documentary series.
Analytical Essay
Write an analytical essay focusing on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s view of
what it means to be an American and how that view is expressed through his
works (“Self Reliance” 1841 and “Nature” 1836). The
essay must contain quotes from the author’s work to back up/illustrate your
points. You must include at least two sources from the annotated
bibliography (3 sources located in the attachments) and primary
sources (listed below). Include also an application of Psychoanalytic
Critical Theory in your analysis of at least one of Ralph Waldo
Emerson’s works (“Self
Reliance”). For a review of critical theory, see the Critical Theory in
the attachments.
Your essay should be 4-5 pages or about 1250-1500 words in length, in
size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and follow MLA format.
Primary Sources
(click the links):
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self Reliance” (1841)
Emerson’s “Nature” (1836)
Read the Introduction, Chapters 1, 3
Include
works cited. Does not count as a page.