Kalyn Smith
English 244
Professor Lee
3 March 2017
An Analysis of Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a very influential American writer of the 19th century. He believes strongly in transcendentalism and contributed greatly to forming the transcendentalist morals. Emerson valued intuition, reason, and optimism. He believe that humans have an innate morality and that perfection is attainable if it is worked out. He believed that humans are the center of the universe and we must connect with God through nature. Emerson also believed in self-reliance, the theory that we must be "self-made" and that our successes are personal, it will come from within.
Emerson also believe that nature was critical to living a good life. On page 215 he says that, "The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present they're always inaccessible... if the stars should appear one night in 1000 years, now would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown." He says this to show how oblivious humans are to the beauty of nature simply because it is always there. We overlook how precious and unique something as little as the stars are, and until we learn to appreciate the real beauty of nature, humans will never be living their lives to the fullest.
Emerson also believes that as we grow older, we lose touch and connection with nature. He says that very few adults possess the ability to really see nature. Sure they physically see it, but they lack the concept of really appreciating natural beauty. He says, " The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child." Meaning that nature to a child is more meaningful than it is to an adult. There is an emotional connection between nature and child; it is not only seen but also felt.
Emerson's ideas influenced a lot of other writers. One being Henry David Thoreau.
Thoreau adopted many of Emerson's morals and believed in order to survive, you only really need four things: food, shelter, clothing an fuel. Thoreau believed that he needed to get as close to not being alive as he can, and then and only then will he see what life really is. Emerson believed in simplifying life. He says to, "Keep your accounts on a thumbnail." Meaning that you should only have the bare minimum, everything else is unnecessary. You must live true to yourself and not conform to others to live a good life. Thoreau also ties Emerson's idea of nature into his beliefs. He says that, if you do not appreciate the morning light, you are living in darkness. Thoreau agrees with Emerson in the fact that real appreciation of nature is what will lead to a successful and happy life.
Works Cited:
Levine, Robert S., Michael A. Elliott, Sandra M. Gustafson, Amy Hungerford, and Mary Loeffelholz. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Eighth ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W. Norton, 2017. Print.
Kalyn, good job on your main blog about Ralph Waldo Emerson. This blog was a little difficult to read with the dark font and the dark background but I liked the information and picture that it contained. I also liked the examples you used and how relevant to Emerson’s beliefs they were. Your analysis of the examples are well thought out and help me to better understand those examples you included. The quote you used that says, "The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child." And your analysis explaining how the importance of nature means more to a child than to a man helps me better understand exactly how nature is connected to self-reliance.
ReplyDeleteIn this blog, you talked about self-reliance, but I feel like you could elaborate more on this topic. Such as how Emerson explains that you need to trust and rely on yourself more than you do on others. Also, you know what is best for yourself and you shouldn’t depend on others to tell you how to live. Additionally, Emerson explains that you need to find yourself before you can be who you are so you don’t distract and hold yourself back. I liked how you compared Emerson to Thoreau because they are similar in their beliefs. You could possibly elaborate more on their comparisons as well. One comparison could be on how they both believe that if you are born into a job or working somewhere that does not make you happy you do not need to stay there. They encourage you to go out and find yourself and to find something that makes you happy.
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ReplyDeleteI like your focus on the nature aspect of Emerson’s writing, as that played not only a big part not for Emerson but for the transcendentalist movement as a whole. You did a good job of connecting his main points that having a connection to nature is important in life, and that many end up losing the ability to really appreciate and connect with nature as we grow older. I like that you pointed out Emerson’s point on how the connection between nature and child is stronger than that between nature and man, because as we grow older we lose that connection because it is always around us.
ReplyDeleteWhile nature is a big focus on the transcendentalist movement and Emerson’s Self-Reliance, I think there is other important beliefs in the writing that you missed. For example, Emerson talks about how one should not just conform to society, saying that it “loses our time and blurs the impression of your character.” I think this could have been an important point to make in your paper.
I would choose a lighter font to contrast the dark background.
ReplyDelete