About EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803. Emerson is most well known for being a leader in Transcendentalism, two of his most famous essays being Self-Reliance and Nature. Three of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s brothers died before they became adults. In Emerson’s youth he attended Boston Latin School, then Harvard University, and from there the Harvard School of divinity where he studied to be a minister. In 1931 Emerson’s first wife died whom he’d been married to 1829. That grief along with his own crisis in his faith, led to him leaving his position in the clergy to go to Europe to meet and talk to some philosophers and writers oh which he looked up to; Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. Upon returning to America he started lecturing on Ethics and Spiritualness of individuals, core parts of transcendentalism.
Nature and Self-Reliance were two pieces of literature written by Emerson. Nature, published in 1836, talks about people’s tendencies to accept the present condition of the world based off of the past and how it always had been. In the essay Emerson also goes into the beauty of nature and it’s ability to help a person simplify their life and live peacefully and connect with their spirituality. He also points out how nature can enhance a person’s intellect. Nature overall is something that helps connect a man to spirituality and the universe. Self-reliance, published in 1841, explains the importance of being yourself and relying on only yourself. To imitate anyone else would be to destroy who you are. Because you are a human with a soul, you should trust your instincts and what your heart tells you to do over logic. Emerson also writes that the only good which can come to you must come of your own efforts. These two pieces of literature are monumental in the transcendentalist movement. |
Summary and Analysis of NatureEmerson begins nature with and introduction focused on questioning the status-quo of accepting the laws, religion, and theories of the past. He makes the claim that the theory creators of the past used revaluation and insight of the era to develop these now accepted ideas. Emerson uses this claim to make a "why not us" argument, questioning why present day society has to accept past ideas when they could develop their own from observation of the world around them, while supporting the transcendentalist theme of social reform. This claim is followed by the demand for society to develop their own works, laws, and religion.
In his introduction, Emerson follows his demand for new ideas with the claim that no question is unanswerable. Emerson believes that nature holds the answers to all questions, and that the sole purpose of science find these answers within nature. The introduction concludes with providing his definition of nature, "essences unchanged by man", and the claim that art is a combination of the will of man and nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson follows up the introduction with his explanation of how one must experience nature to attempt to understand it. He says that to understand nature a man must enter nature in solitude to allow it's beauty to surround him and influence his mind. This claim by Emerson could show a link between Nature, and Emerson's religious past as a minister. In his first paragraph, Emerson describes the stars as looking down on the world, it is possible that this is symbolic of God looking down upon his creation. Emerson continues on to say that few people truly see nature. He describes their view of nature as superficial, only seeing nature with his eyes, but someone who is one with nature sees the world with his heart as well. Someone who is one with nature opens their heart and mind to it, allowing nature to accept them as part of it, alleviating them of grief and sorrow, while celebrating happiness. Emerson concludes the Nature excerpt by stating that a man's perception of nature is a combination of his own spirit and the existence of nature. He suggests that a heavy heart can make nature seem melancholy, and that a happy heart can portray nature as a happy and whimsical environment. |
Romanticism and NatureEmerson's Nature follows many common themes of Romanticism, and more specifically transcendentalism.
Romanticism as a whole: Nature displays three main themes of the romantic era: Escapism, Individuality, and Nature as a source of spirituality. This excerpt from Emerson begins with the idea of Individuality, stating that the present generation should form their own ideas and opinions instead of accepting the ideas of the generations of the past. He continues on to dive into the idea of Escapism. He supports this romantic idea by claiming that to fully appreciate nature, one must enter it in solitude, basically escaping the distractions of society. And finally, Emerson finishes of the excerpt with Nature as a source of spirituality. He makes claims supporting the idea that nature will accept those who open themselves up to it, similar to the religious ideas of a God accepting those who follow him. Transcendentalism: Emerson begins nature with the transcendentalist idea of social reform. He tells the reader that society needs to develop their own ideas, theories, and religions based on their own perceptions of the world, instead of accepting the ideas of the past. |
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http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/emersons-nature/major-themes
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/emersons-nature/summary-and-analysis
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/emersons-nature/major-themes
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/thoreau-emerson-and-transcendentalism/emersons-nature/summary-and-analysis
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature. N.p.: n.p., 1831. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <http://transcendentalism- legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/nature.html>.