Course: ELA Grade Level: 11-12
Type: Informational/Explanatory Structure: Analysis Teaching Task 21: What is Freedom? After reading Anthem by Ayn Rand and excerpts by the Transcendental writers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, write an essay that addresses the question and analyzes the meaning of the word “Freedom” from the authors’ perspectives, providing examples to clarify your analysis. What conclusion or implications can you draw? A bibliography is required. (L2): In your discussion, address the credibility and origin of sources in view of your research topic. (L3): Identify any gaps or unanswered questions. Performance Level: Approaches Expectations
Freedom. This is a word that may or may not be important to some Americans. But what most people don't realize is that America is the centerfold of freedom to the rest of the world. Three American writers do a very well job at describing the way they look at freedom.
They each uniquely describe that freedom is a part of being an individual and that it is a part of life. These writers are Ayn Rand, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. They each find freedom in different ways. Ayn finds it through communism. Thoreau finds it through a special connection with nature, and Emerson is set on individualism.
Ayn Rand believes in communism. "I am done with the monster of "we" the word of selfdom, of plunder, of misery falsehood and shame (p.197)." By this quote, he is saying that he was to be an individual and break free from the group. This is stating how Ayn thinks that everyone should be an individual and that there should be no groups. Another quote is "I am. I think. I will." In the book he refers to himself as "we" because "I" is the word that is forbidden. They are not allowed to refer to themselves as an individual. So by him saying this, it shows that he is breaking free of the group and being individual.
Henry David Thoreau decided to find freedom by connecting with nature. " I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately to front only the essentials of life (p.237)."
By this quote, he is saying that he moved in to the wild to get away from the harsh society and be free. He had to live on his own with natural resources and fend for himself. This gave him the ability to find himself in the nature around him. "The government is best does not govern at all." This is another quote saying that the government is taking over people and that it is better to be free and have more freedom within the society. This is how he thinks of the government.
Being an individual is what Emerson stands by. He believes that freedom comes from individualism. He found this through Self-Reliance. "To be great is to be misunderstood." What Emerson is saying is that great people are often misunderstood, but those are the people who are the happiest. Many great people in our country were often looked at as different, but they ended up making history and making their name an item of our country. Another quote is "Insist on yourself; never imitate ... Every great man is unique."
By this he is saying that every person is different and that it is okay to stand out. You should express yourself in your own individual way and ignore what society tells you. Being and individual isn't bad and that you should do what makes you happy, because your happiness is all that should matter.
As you can see, these three American writers saw freedom in different ways. If you pick out bits and pieces of each style of writing, you will find that they all have similarities. They are just harder to see because each person is emphasizing on a specific way of looking at such a broad topic. Rand found freedom in communism, Thoreau found it in an individual finding themselves in nature, and lastly, Emerson found being unique individualism. There is nothing wrong with these three unique writers having a different perspective of freedom. They all connect to each other somehow and it should be greatly
appreciated. What the authors are trying to achieve is that in different parts of the world, some people have freedom that is very limited. I think that is the main goal that is trying to be achieved through their unique writing. You don't have to agree with them. They just want their opinions to be heard because they have freedom of speech and that to them, is one of the most valuable gifts of life.
Annotation
Focus 1.5 The essay addresses some aspects of the prompt (e.g., authors’ perspectives regarding freedom) but does not provide an analysis of what freedom is or means. The writer presents information but does not identify unanswered questions. Reading/Research 1 It is not evident that the writer has researched background concepts, such as Rand’s stance on Communism. It is unclear whether the writer read the texts. The research is inaccurate. Controlling Idea 2 The writer attempts to provide a clear thesis, but it is general in nature: They each uniquely describe that freedom is a part of being an individual and that it is a part of life. These writers are Ayn Rand, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. They each find freedom in different ways. Ayn finds it through communism. Thoreau finds it through a special connection with nature, and Emerson is set on individualism. Development 2 The writer provides explanation of the content in order to develop the controlling idea but needs to elaborate on examples and research more thoroughly: Being and individual isn’t bad and that you should do what makes you happy, because your happiness is all that should matter. Incorporating more textual evidence would strengthen the essay. Organization 2 The writer organizes ideas into paragraphs but does not control the structure of the essay. The conclusion partially addresses the prompt and is underdeveloped in relation to the rest of the essay: What the authors are trying to achieve is that in different parts of the world, some people have freedom that is very limited. I think that is the main goal that is trying to be achieved through their unique writing. You don’t have to agree with them. They just want their opinions to be heard because they have freedom of speech and that to them, is one of the most valuable gifts of life. Conventions 1.5 The writer attempts to control English conventions but makes errors with first and second person, commas, and references to the authors. Sources are partially and inconsistently cited. A bibliography is not provided. Content 2 The writer demonstrates a rudimentary understanding of content Understanding with few details that show a clear understanding of the texts. Relevant content terms are left unexplained or are inaccurate: individualism, Communism.
This student would benefit from feedback, discussion, and/or instruction in the following areas: • Writing a clear thesis statement • Rereading and discussing the texts to develop content understanding • Selection of relevant research to support ideas