As an introduction to Hawthorne's " The Scarlet Letter" ,on the whiteboard, I reviewed characteristics of Transcendental philosophy and its influences on the Romantic literary style in American literature. We then discussed Emerson's essay ," Nature". Olivia participated in class discussion analyzing Emerson's writing style and locating passages evidencing the Transcendentalist philosophy . We then discussed Emerson's famous essay "Self Reliance" . Olivia did a good job recognizing Emerson's value on individualism , and his disdain for conformity. I discussed how this element of Transcendentalism finds a voice in " The Scarlet Letter "and in some of the other works we will study where the individual, often a woman, fails to conform to societal norms and faces consequences. We further discussed the influence of Thoreau and Emerson on the cultural revolution of the 60's . I began introducing "the Scarlet Letter ", and Hawthorne's historical ties to the Salem witch trials . For homework, I assigned reading a portion of the novel's introductory preface known as "The Custom House".