Read the story and arrange with three or four volunteers to read it aloud to the group. Assign each volunteer a section of the story and give all the volunteers a copy of the story in advance.
Description of Activity
Have the volunteers read the story aloud.
Then, lead a discussion with these questions:
Is it possible to create a community that, in George Ripley's words, "combine(s) the thinker and the worker" and creates "a more natural union between intellectual and manual labor?" What would that community look like?
Is such a combination desirable? What would be gained or lost?
Can a community like Brook Farm transform its members? How?
Putting aside Brook Farm's financial troubles, do you think you would like to live in a utopian community like Brook Farm? If you have you ever had the chance to, what was it like?
