Isabella Fernandez

Mrs. Storer

English III Honors Block 4

21 January 2020

Emerson and Thoreau Socratic Circle Reflection

Reflection on Performance:

During the Socratic Circle, I participated only once throughout my turn. In the circle I
participated in, we discussed Emerson’s Nature. The facilitator asked the question, “What does
Emerson say would happen if the stars appeared only one night in a thousand years? What does
his comment suggest about human nature?” I answered that I perceived Emerson’s words as
assaying that if someone truly wants to achieve solidarity, one must need to go outside and be
with nature. This is the only way that one can truly be alone, instead of just going to one’s room
and being by themselves. I failed to provide textual evidence or evidence to back up my claim,
yet I only explained what I perceived from Emerson.
The group performance, on the other hand, I felt was a good, and fluent discussion on
Emerson and Thoreau. I particularly enjoyed the last circle which included both Emerson and
Thoreau in an attempt to summarize both of them and compare the contrasting ideas. The
discussion took a twist in a direction, where the circle started to talk about how Thoreau’s ideas
relate to the world we live in as a society, and how a “hypocrite” is defined. I liked that they
compared the article with real world scenarios to set a clearer point of view.

Reflection on Content:

In Emerson’s Nature, he considered the thought-provoking question of what if the stars

only appeared once every thousand years. Emerson chooses this idea to suggest to human nature
if one wants to find solidarity, one must do so in the form of a connection to nature, unity with
the natural world, and an agreement with oneself.

In this essay, I would touch the points where I compare Emerson’s ideas with the
question he makes to his readers. In the first paragraph of my essay I would talk about a human’s
connection to nature in order to achieve true solidarity, by connecting with the stars, which
symbolize a world which we are still unsure of. I would also talk about how one can achieve the
connection with nature, which starts by going outside and participating in outdoor activities. In
the next paragraph, I would talk about solidarity and the essence of it. What does it mean in
relation to Emerson’s ideas and how it is related to the question he asks in his article. In the last
paragraph, I would touch the points of an agreement one must make with himself/herself in order
to create a reciprocal feeling of acceptance with nature. One must be able to feel the connection
to the natural world in order for the natural world to feel a connection to that individual.
 I can make connections between the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau in relation to my
everyday life and past experiences. From the readings, I realized that I too, have had my fair
share of profound respect for nature. Last Winter, I went to Mammoth lake to ski with my
family. I skied the whole day in blue and black mountains, without any interception or conflict.
Yet, when the sun started to go down, I decided I wanted to go on a last run on the black
mountain before the sun was completely out. I skied down the mountain like I had many times
that day, I knew the curves, and direction of the path, like it was the back of my hand. Yet during
the end, I felt my skis move in the wrong direction of the path, I felt as though I had no control
over them. I moved through the unknown path, but the trees blocked the scarce light that was
left. I saw a that there was going to be a very big drop soon so I decided to stop, rest, and go
through the originally intended path. I stopped, but my ski’s skidded and I fell just before going
down the steep plunge. When I got up to see the plunge, I noticed it wasn’t a plunge at all but a
cliff. I immediately felt a growing feeling of unease as I wondered what could have happened if I
hadn’t had stopped. In that moment, I felt a huge respect for nature, as I realizes it is much bigger
than me and everything mundane combined and we must respect it.