Tthe Relationship between Man and Nature in Emerson and Thoreau Part 6

Ralph Waldo Emerson in his speech which he delivered at Cambridge in 1837 mostly talks about American Independence however, he also talks about America still is under the influence of Europe. In the very first line “Mr. President and gentlemen, I greet you on the recommencement of our literary year” (Emerson, R.W. 1907); here Emerson is talking about the hope for staying independent and the value of the independence. After America got their independence Emerson delivered the speech and offered a declaration of his own arguing Americans to stop being “parrots of other men’s thinking”. While saying this Emerson is showing that American though they got their independence but the way in which they think is still like the European who once invaded America. Now, so that America is independent American people should be thinking on their own not depending on others thinking. The ‘American scholar’ reflects the value of the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution to an extent by relating the idea of man thinking and the mere thinker and how these two ideas can bring about the change in the life of Americans.

In his speech, Emerson talks about the Man Thinking and the mere thinker. He says when America was colonized by England the American were influenced by them to a great extent. So, during those days’ people mostly were mere thinker as they copied others writing similar to parrot. He says stop being parrot and he draws attention on how people can become Man Thinking by creating their own work through their own imagination. The peoples they were so into others writing that they did not write by their own. Emerson believed in being a Man Thinking, writing on their own by getting inspired from nature and the beauty...

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...ng up with their own creativity, learning through their experiences and knowledge are all related to the idea of the declaration of independent and the American Constitution.

Thus, Emerson believed in creating their own writing inspired from nature and learning from the nature. Not mimicking from the others. It will reflect the value of the Declaration of Independence when the people starts to do on their own and come up with different and new ideas such as, stop being mere thinker and start becoming man thinking and the American Constitution by having individual rights. Just as Emerson in ‘The American Scholar’ strongly give attention on being creative and avoid being bookworm.

Works Cited

Emerson, R. W. (1907). The American scholar. In Essays. Retrieved from
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16643/16643-h/16643-h.htm