Mary K. Donahue
To bridge the ideas between the Individual and Conformist sections we will begin by looking at
The New Necklace
(by William MacGregor Paxton, 1908). Here is a perfect chance for you to test your students and their ability to deign between ‘society’ and individuals. This painting is of a young woman in a very decadent setting holding up a pearl necklace. The most striking part of the painting is the look of rapt attention and ecstasy on her face. She looks like this is the happiest she has ever, and will ever, be. This is a painting of an individual, but at the same time it is a painting of someone who appears to be embracing many of the trappings of society. Ask the students some questions like: What is this woman doing? Why is she so happy? Is she wealthy? Why or why not? What does her surroundings tell you about her? What can you assume about this woman from this painting? What is Paxton saying about society? Is this a positive or negative painting about individuality?
At this point the students must begin looking critically at society. Here we will try to uncover this idea within the classroom ourselves using the Object Judgment Activity (see attached sample lesson 1). The paintings that I have chosen for this section are:
The Subway
(by George Tooker, 1950), and
Essie, Ruby, And Ferdinand, Children of Asher Wertheimer
(by John Singer Sargent, 1902).
After that, the students will begin experimenting with ways that they can remove themselves from society. The students will each be assigned a spot outside measuring three feet by three feet. (The classroom can be used pursuant on weather or inability to go outside.) The students will be asked to first just ‘be’ in their space: to try to experience everything that is naturally occurring around them. The idea here is for the students to live out their own mini
Walden
. After they have spent a significant amount of time observing (ideally 15-30 minutes), then they will be asked to write about their world in detail. After they complete this, they will be asked to describe how they could effectively remove themselves from an aspect of society. (These should both be half page assignments, you are not striving to beat essays out of the students, rather you are trying to get them to honestly respond to this activity.)
Then we will begin to dissect the idea of complete removal from society. Was Thoreau even successful at his attempt? Why or why not? What evidence can you find for this within his writing? Is it better to attempt this very idealistic approach to being yourself, or does it make more sense to learn how to be yourself within the context of the world that most of us have to live in? It is imperative to make sure that your students are carrying over the knowledge and ideas that you are generating about these topics. This is why the chart is so important. However, before you move on to the third and final section, you may want to review Emerson, Thoreau, and the paintings that you have seen. Either using the board or an overhead review key concepts. Check that each student has been filling in their individuality vs. conformity chart. It may even be time to quiz them on some of these ideas before moving on, because the students will only understand the next section if they are able to understand the basis for it, which is fundamentally the difference between individuals and conformists.