Discuss Emerson’s idea of the “transparent eyeball” and how it works within his overall argument about our human relationship to nature.

1. Discuss Emerson’s idea of the “transparent eyeball” and how it works within his overall argument about our human relationship to nature. Reflect on this image and its meaning: do you agree or disagree with Emerson? Why or why not? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
2. Transcendentalism is a subgenre of the larger American Romantic movement, of which Hawthorne was a part. Compare the way that nature is portrayed in Emerson’s essay versus how Hawthorne uses it as a device in “Young Goodman Brown.”
3. Look at Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” (Vol. 2, p. 88), and formulate a response that indicates this poem’s ties to celebrity culture. How does Dickinson evaluate being a “nobody” versus being a “somebody”? Do you agree with her assessment?
4. Read from the last paragraph of p. 85 to the middle of p. 86 in Vol. 2 of our textbook: this passage shares information about the publication of Dickinson’s poetry. Compare the paths to publication for Anne Bradstreet and Emily Dickinson, and the potential issues or complications that arise out of these approaches.

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