Mary K. Donahue
Society’s Baggage: An Object-Identifying Activity
At this point the students have been introduced to the ideas and readings of both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. We will have touched minimally on the ideas presented therein, and have begun to read into paintings. It is imperative that the students begin to uncover their own beliefs about things, coming from within themselves and from society’s accepted views. The paintings that we have already viewed will serve as a good base for the realization that attitudes and emotions can be presented very clearly by everyday objects.
Objectives:
Students Will:
Demonstrate connections between the literature and the outcome of this activity
Provide judgments on their assigned objects
Assessment:
Participation, Written Response
Activity:
Directly at the beginning of class each student will be asked to take his/her seat and wait quietly. They will be given a folded slip of paper with an object printed on it that they will be directed not to open until instructed. I will explain to them the nature of this assignment: You each, in turn, will be asked to open your slip of paper. Upon opening it you will see the name of an object printed inside. Give your immediate first impressions of that object. What do you think of when you see that word? For instance: thick eyeglasses. Responses that the student will generate will be: nerdy, intelligent, reads a lot, not fun. These responses will be listed on an overhead alongside a list of the original objects. Another example will be: throwback jersey. The student will give responses like: cool, expensive, interesting, someone you want to be friends with, etc. After the student who holds the object has given at least three words or phrases to describe their object, others may add to the list.
This will get at the heart of stereotyping and assist the students in understanding what kind of baggage comes along with owning a simple object. From this the students will be better equipped to understand the concept of society and how it works on the individual. This activity will also facilitate in drawing a personal connection between the students and the transcendental ideas we are studying. The objects will run the gamut from everyday, mundane things to items that obviously carry a societal stigma. Through this, the students will begin to understand that even simple objects can carry double meanings in society, and this is the exact concept that Emerson warned of and Thoreau attempted to avoid. From this the students will be asked to generate a short response, addressing the following questions: Were you surprised by the descriptions that were produced? Why or why not? What would Emerson say about this? What do you think you learned during this activity?