A Critical Analysis Of Water By Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it,” a quote by Lao Tzu. Water has no definite form, yet it can cause so much damage. Ralph Waldo Emerson understood this, too, for his poem “Water,” tells of just how beautifully it destroys. Emerson was a philosopher, journalist, and poet born on May 25, 1803. In his later life, he became part of a literary and philosophical group, now known as the American Transcendentalists. Ralph died on April 27, 1882 in Concord. His works are considered major works of the literature, religion, and thought of the 19th century. The poet uses the elements of literature well to stress the significance of water. The speaker of the poem speaks of water with great importance and how great

“It wets my foot, but prettily,” the speaker states in line 3. This quote states how the speaker’s foot was wet by water but in a delightful way.. This shows that water refreshes in such a beautiful way. The next line of the poem implies the same,“It chills my life, but wittily,” stated in line 4. These lines imply how water also has the ability to refresh in a fascinating way. The speaker states, “Elegantly destroys,” as the last line of the short poem. These two words perfectly contradict each other in the way of a paradox. How can something elegantly destroy? As the poet gave water the ability to destroy and create life and with those abilities it would only seem right if water destroyed with elegance. “Well used, it decketh joy, Adorenth, doubleth joy,” as the speaker states in lines 7 and 8. This quote from the poem shows us how the speaker feels joyous when the water is at its best. “Well used,” could mean when you are watering your plants and you must use a certain amount of water or your plants die. In line 9 the speaker states, “Ill used it with destroy.” This quote implies the destruction that water can cause such as tsunamis, that could wipe out an entire civilization in the blink of an eye: When it rains too much, it can easily flood a place killing plants, livestock, and even unsuspecting people. In the poem “Water,” Emerson’s use of diction truly shows how water is such a beautiful

In one’s opinion, this ability is only something of God’s doing, implying that since water is so pure and natural, like God, it would have such abilities. “The water understands Civilization well,” the speaker states in the first two lines of the poem. This quote signifies that water is a very important source for all life. Humans need water, plants need water, and animals need water; without water everything would die or dry out. All throughout history you will notice that all civilization is built around a water source. It could be a lake, river, or even an ocean, there would always be water. This planet is 70 percent water; water is everywhere. In the poem the speaker states, “ill used, it will destroy.” This shows how water, even in all its beauty and calmness, will destroy. Water has the ability to take life in many forms; hurricanes, tsunamis that can wash away entire civilizations, and raining too much, such as when God flooded the earth and wipe away everything except for Noah’s ark and its passengers. In the last line of the poem the speaker states, “Elegantly destroy.” As that is the last line of the 12 lined poem, the poet leaves off with such a strong image of water. This quote shows us that water is a force not to be reckoned with. Even though water can destroy anything in its path, it destroys with