Lackey's Class Links

Who are the most influential figures in American history? The Atlantic recently asked ten eminent historians. The result was The Atlantic’s Top 100—and some insight into the nature of influence and the contingency of history. Was Walt Disney really more influential than Elizabeth Cady Stanton? Benjamin Spock than Richard Nixon? Elvis Presley than Lewis and Clark? John D. Rockefeller than Bill Gates? Babe Ruth than Frank Lloyd Wright? - From Atlantic''s Top 100 Most Influential Americans (PDF file)

1. Read the Emerson and Thoreau selections in your anthology.
2. Your task is to investigate a contemporary individual whose life demonstrates either Emerson or Thoreau's definition of the self-reliant individual. This person's life should show their response to a particular social or political issue which challenges conventional beliefs or practice.
3. Choose a contemporary (living) individual from Atlantic Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential Americans or Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century
4. Search for quotations by Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau.
5. Write a 350 word persuasive essay explaining how this contemporary individual embodies Emerson or Thoreau's definition of self-reliance.
6. Essays must be typed, use MLA format and include a correct MLA citation of sources, including Works Cited.
7. Submit final draft to TurnItIn.com

Use the following outline:

I - Introduction
A. First quotation by Emerson or Thoreau
B. Explain quotation
C. How does the quotation describe your individual?
II - Descibe their life's accomplishments - How does this individual demonstrate their beliefs?

III - Why is this person a self-reliant individual - How does he or she reflect the beliefs of Emerson or Thoreau?

IV - What is this person's philosophy of life?

V - Conclusion
A. Second quotation by Emerson or Thoreau
B. Explain quotation
C. How does the quotation describe your individual?

Further quotations by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.