Understanding Feelings Essay
Writing
Task: Now that you have closely analyzed Emerson’s thoughts about nature and solitude, I want you to take a walk by yourself (or with a dog if you have one) and consider, for yourself, what Emerson’s thoughts about experiencing nature in solitude and connecting with God mean to you. You must, in your essay, explain and analyze a minimum of three quotations from Emerson’s essay.
1. Begin by introducing your reader to the fact that you are taking a walk and considering what Emerson’s thoughts mean to you.
2. Describe what you see on your walk and how you relate the experience of seeing it to your understandings and feelings about what Emerson writes. Make sure you look at and analyze at least three specific passages and relate them to your experience on the walk. Remember that Emerson’s essay is, in part, about a walk in the woods that he takes.
3. Come to a conclusion about what you have learned (or not learn) about taking a walk alone in nature while thinking about what Emerson had to say. Your conclusions MUST be based on the specific things you consider in the rest of your essay. In other words, your narrative must lead to your final thoughts.
2~3 pages, single space, 12-point, Times New Roman font
