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Critical analysis of nature by Emerson
Critical analysis of nature by Emerson
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The way I view the world has been greatly affected by my reading this semester. Thought I had read Emerson and Melville before, I never before was able to sound the depths of their work and fully appreciate it. This semester was my first real exposure to Whitman, as well. The best analogy for my new outlook is an image of the universe as a yin-yang; it is a complete, unbroken whole within which two polar opposites are constantly in conflict. But more significantly I have taken to heart the doctrine of "Self-Reliance," which is one shared by all three authors. Emerson presents a different system of learning than I had ever encountered. Throughout my previous education, I was taught to learn whatever was in the book. The only place original thought was accepted was in occasional creative writing assignments, and even then a stylistic formula was required. The sentence from "Self-Reliance," "A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages." was a completely new idea to me. My mind originally dismissed the concept from his journals that "The dead sleep in their moonless night; my business is with the living. . . ." But on further reflection, it made sense. Self-reliance is an intimidating concept. Students are taught to externally justify any position we take. If we make a thesis statement we must find support for it in the crumbling stacks of the library. Yet in the end I have found that self-reliance is the most satisfying way to grapple with life. Melville frequently supports these ideas in his writing. When Ishmael encounters the whale skeleton that a tribe of islanders have elevated to the status of a god, he demonstrates the gravity one should grant to others' ideas of religion: "Cutting me a green measuring-rod, I once more dived within the skeleton. From their arrow-slit in the skull, the priests perceived me taking the altitude of the final rib. 'How now!' they shouted; 'Dar'st thou measure this our god! That's for us.' 'Aye, priests—well, how long do ye make him, then?' But hereupon a fierce contest rose among them, concerning feet and inches; they cracked each other's sconces with their yard-sticks—the great skull echoed—and seizing that lucky chance, I quickly concluded my own admeasurements.
In "Self-Reliance," philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that people shouldn't be reliant on what others in society think. The main point of this essay is for people in society to realize that the only way to be comfortable is to be uncomfortable first. Throughout the essay it can be complicating to understand what Emerson is trying to accomplish. In the first paragraph Emerson states," The soul always hears an admonition in such lines." He also writes," Watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind." Lastly Emerson claims," we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinions from another."
Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance, Henry David Thoreau's Where I Lived and What I Lived For, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Dr. Heidegger's Experiment and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are all considered to be models of timeless writing. Each author was skilled but each wrote with their own tone. There are both parallels and disagreements between these writer's tones. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote to inspire and to change the thought process of the everyday man, in hopes that society would improve.
Out of all the great authors and poets we have studied this semester I have chosen the three that I personally enjoyed reading the most; Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman. These three Writers stand out above the rest for each has contributed substantially to bringing forth a newly earned respect for American Writers of Literature. Up until this point in time most literature had come from European writers. Hawthorne, Poe and Whitman brought not only great works of art to our newly formed nation, but also to the world in general.
Throughout America in the 1830's, the religious and literary philosophy of Transcendentalism flourished. This period of time is difficult to describe in a simple definition, but the general ideas are expressed through poetry, essays and books of these three talented Transcendental authors; Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Henry Thoreau. From Emerson's dramatic expressions of thinking for one’s self and not conforming, to Whitman's belief of living stress free and experiencing life, to Thoreau's explanation of the purpose of sucking the marrow out of life and constant reminder of simplicity; the writing of these free thinking authors with these ideas show the overall meaning of Transcendentalism. The lessons of the Transcendental era are expressed in the modern day movie Dead Poet's Society directed by Peter Wier. As a literature professor at Welton Academy, a preparatory school for boys, Mr. Keating has rather unorthodox methods of teaching which include interactive lessons to inspire his students to learn. Rather than a normal class of reading from books and writing essays, Mr. Keating taught life lessons which are different from your average lecture. The storyline of the film focuses on one class composed of boys who are on their 4th and final year of education at this academy. Mr. Keating is successful in teaching all the boys the ideas of Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau during his period of time as their literature teacher. This teachers class changed the boys perspective on life forever, which is more than what most high school students can say from their ed...
In “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he promotes the importance of self reliance as an individual, and in society. Individuality to Emerson Opposed the traditional ideas of society, and to him it meant to oppose the conformity and consistency in society. He believes that the majority of people have given up their self reliance because of their fear of judgement by society. To be an individual, Emerson stresses that one has to be a risk taker, and disregard all things external.
Emerson believed that everyone should have a developed understanding of life. Emerson's essay on Self-Reliance begins with a demonstration to believe in the true self, which is considered to be similar to the Universal Spirit. In the essay he urges the
I agree with the statement Benjamin Anastas makes about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “self-reliance” of how it is “the most pernicious piece of literature in the American canon” (Anastas 602-603). One reason why I agree with Anastas is that Emerson believes the people are timid and apologetic and do not have opinions of their own. Another reason why I stand alongside Anastas is that Emerson thinks people are afraid of each other and the truth(s) that others have are but quotes from a saint or sage. My final reason that I believe Anastas is correct is due to Emerson believing our society does not gain anything new that makes life worth living.
Emerson obviously believes that man should not settle for becoming what society has already prescribed for him. It is apparent that he feels that too often we are smothered by what other people believe and think and lose sight of the fact that we all have minds of our own and we should not fear independence. By letting yourself conform to what society believes or by living yo...
Emerson, Ralph. "Self-Reliance." The American Tradition in Literature. Eighth Edition. Ed. George Perkins. New York. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994.
Both authors acknowledge human pain and suffering, Corruption and vice. Emerson was accused by his contemporaries, including Melville upon occasion, of neglecting these most basic elements of the human condition, turning instead toward the glib optimism of self-reliance. True, Emerson's ideas were rooted in introspection. It was the very essence of humanity's darker side that drove him to search for solutions, for a source of stability, faith, within.
Being self-reliant is brought up in many of Thoreau, Emerson, and Whitman’s work and if one wants to understand the idea of Wakefulness, then they need to understand self-reliance. In his book, Walden, Thoreau writes about the idea that in order to be awake, one must be self-reliant. In Walden, Thoreau leaves his life in Concord, Massachusetts to live isolated from civilization. He writes, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau, Walden). Thoreau is saying that he goes to live in the woods because he wants to live freely and not know what he was going to do next. He wants to see if he can learn what life is really about and to live in a way he has not before. Thoreau’s beliefs of self-reliance are that he needs to be away from civilization and strip down to live with only life’s essentials, not making choices based on his community or societal norms. When Thoreau...
Enlightenment is illustrated by both poets as something beyond explanation, beyond the normal, physical world. Whitman especially recognizes this. “I know I have the best of time and space, and was never measured and never will be measured” (Whitman 46, 452). The enlightened mind can see beyond what is visible. “High, high from the summit of the peak, / Whatever way I look, no limit in sight!” (Hanshan 986)....
There is contrast in Whitman's view, which embraces all society, and that which surrounds him. He views all mankind and nature as intertwined in the past, present and future in one perpetual cycle of life and death. He speaks of the sameness of man and se...
In order to understand any comparison of the two author's one must first read and comprehend that Emerson's writing are clearly an instruction manual that Whitman adopts in order to become an outstanding poet. Emerson believes we must,
During the Transcendental period in American Literature, individualism was the basis of writing in this time. There were many authors who wrote about individualism and they include Ralf Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. A write of our time, Garrison Keillor, also writes about the importance of being an individual.