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Journals One of our goals during this course was to “think like Transcendentalists.” To that end, all of us – students and faculty – kept regular journals. We wrote or sketched or otherwise ruminated in our journals. But every two or three weeks, we’d take part of our class evening to go on independent walks, then come back to our classroom and begin writing. From the moment we left the room and went outside to the moment we were finished writing, we did not speak to one another. Yet the communion of ideas was truly serendipitous. We also took our journals with us on our travels to New England, writing in them often, sharing with each other our observations and our reflections. Some of
us wrote “traditional” journal entries (whatever that means), some of us drew
what we saw, some of us wrote poetry, and some of us
took photographs. You’ll find our best nuggets on these pages. In our
journaling efforts, we were especially inspired by Henry David Thoreau, Walt
Whitman, Annie Dillard, and many contemporary nature writers. Right: A page from Dan Marrs’s journal, complete with Emerson's “transparent eyeball.” Click on the image to see a larger version. |
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Sarah’s Thoughts on Journaling (or Everyone Was Afraid of Journals) I
sincerely believe in the power of journaling, though I have yet to do it for
more than two days in a row. The only reason I am able to keep this journal
is because it is required. I think if I could find something that works for
me, I’d get all the relaxation and joy from it than others do. My main
problem is my ever-present need to take on more tasks than I should. Even
when I tell myself, “I’m going to take it easy this semester,” I end up just
as over-committed as I always do. I love to be involved in a variety of
things, and I thrive, but my schedule doesn’t leave much time for personal
reflection or relaxation. I deeply regret this, but I can’t seem to change.
So journaling always becomes one more task I have to do, and it is low on my
list of priorities. I have
tried to keep many different types of journals. When I was younger, I often
attempted to write what most people would consider a journal. I got a
physical journal (with a lock and key—always important to me) and wrote my
feelings. As a teen, my fear of someone finding the journal always stopped
me. In college, my lack of time prevents me. I have tried to write a
computerized journal several times (thinking that would be easier and
faster), but like a true tech writer, I got hung up on the design and
appearance of the journal, not the content. I also tried a prayer journal,
but I felt that I was saying the same stuff over and over. I’m
remembering now that I have kept one journal religiously! When my
fiancé went to Japan for the summer of 1999, I got us both journals. We had
been dating for a little over a year, and I wanted us to stay close while he
was away. We both wrote in the journals every day for three months. When he
returned home, we switched journals and read them. I loved reading about all
of his experiences, and I loved sharing mine. It was the summer, so I had a
lot of free time, but I’m thinking now that I completed the journal because I
knew someone would read it. What a revelation! This
makes me really think about my journaling in another way. I have noticed that
I almost always reach a conclusion that I would not have come up with had I
not taken the time to write out my thoughts. Sometimes the feeling is so
strong that it seems like a huge epiphany, like the one I just had about the
only journal I ever kept. I had not forgotten about the journal, but its
connection to my journaling problems finally smacked me in the face. These
are the moments when I feel the benefits of journaling most strongly. I
realize that I have always felt that journaling was not important enough to
keep up with unless I had a real audience. I have a real audience for this
journal, so I can keep it easily. I often imagine that I am writing to Dr.
Dwyer and Dr. Tate or to TC and Cat. In fact, it seems weird to write all of
their names instead of just writing “you.” So why do I need an audience? Why can’t I write for myself and to myself? I had this revelation that writing helps me reach truths for myself (thanks to Thoreau), but I still write these entries to others, not myself. I am going to work on writing to myself. I guess I feel like it’s time I can’t afford to spend. Maybe one day I’ll be able to take time out of each day to sit and have a conversation with myself without feeling guilty. Here’s hoping! |
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Read and view pages from our journals See special
presentations from our “journals” (drawings, photographs, watercolors,
maps, and a letter). Read our Transcendentalist-inspired poetry. For more on journaling, explore the WebQuest on this time-honored practice. Right: A page from Anna’s journal. |
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“American Transcendentalism: An Online Travel Guide” was produced by students in ENGL 446, American Transcendentalism, and ENGL 447, American Literature and the Prominence of Place: A Travel Practicum. These courses were team-taught in the Department of English at Shepherd College (now Shepherd University), Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in Spring 2002 by Dr. Patricia Dwyer and Dr. Linda Tate. For more information on the course and the web project, visit “About This Site.” © 2003 Linda Tate. |