An American Trinity

6 Twenty-five-Minute Programs
Grade Level: 9-12
Curriculum Area: Language Arts: Literature

The series is designed to enrich and supplement the study of American literature. The programs present some of the standard anthologized material of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, including material that may be less familiar to teachers and students.

Teacher Guide: 16 pages; includes background information, program summaries, pre-viewing questions and post-viewing activities.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Sage of Concord 21:42
This program establishes the emotional and literary continuity between the creative triumvirate of authors: Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. Presents the historical background relevant to early 19th-century America.

2. Philosopher of Self-Reliance 19:27
Emerson lectured on the theme "The American Scholar" to Harvard's Phi Beta Kappa graduation class of 1837. He insisted that the "thinking man" is educated by books, nature, and life.

Henry David Thoreau

3. Self-Appointed Inspector 19:53
Thoreau was blessed with a college education, but he never pursued a vocation. Instead, he perused nature. A true transcendentalist, Thoreau claimed he had as many professions as he had fingers.

4. Different Drummer 18:29
Thoreau's Journal is a source of transcendental wisdom and Yankee common sense. This program offers dramatizations of Thoreau's humorous, often wry, insights into life at Concord Village.

Walt Whitman

5. Manahatta Bard 22:25
This program introduces the character and literature of Whitman and analyzes his "Song of Myself. " This program will dramatize what Whitman proclaims in the first stanza: "I celebrate myself, and sing myself / And what I assume you shall assume. "

6. Whitman Legacy and Conclusion 21:33
Whitman labored 10- to 12-hour days in the Capitol's military hospital, comforting the sick and dying, reading to them, and writing letters to their loved ones.