Ralph Waldo Emerson's Argument In Nature

1025 Words3 Pages

Analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Argument in Nature Nature, written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a literary work about natural world and its properties. Nature is divided into an introduction and eight chapters. Emerson defines nature as everything separate from the inner individual. The inner individual meaning the soul. The titles of the eight chapters are: Nature, Commodity, Beauty, Language, Discipline, Idealism, Spirit, and Prospects. In chapter three, Emerson introduces the idea of beauty. Beauty is a part of the natural world and it serves our needs and desires. He makes it clear that beauty is a nobler want of humanity (Emerson, 944). Beauty is not absolutely necessary for the survival of man, but it is beneficial and extremely useful. …show more content…

Emerson discovers that a landscape has a perfect order by comparing that landscape to a circle with a perfect shape. From this discovery, Emerson concludes that perfect order is composed of two parts: the eye looking at the scene and the natural light showing the scene’s beauty. Emerson claims that “There is no object so foul that intense light will not make beautiful” (Emerson, 945). Every object that is found in nature has its own beauty in one form or another, which can be seen when seeing the whole landscape. Emerson outlines three main points concerning the benefits and the uses of nature's beauty: the medicinal qualities, the spiritual elements, and the intellectual properties. It is intriguing how Emerson determines the purpose of natural beauty he does this by writing “The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired so long as we can see far enough” (945). We depend on nature to balance out our lives. Nature gives us the views necessary to achieve …show more content…

Chapter three address the beauty of nature and the three main points on beauty. Beauty is a noble want and it pleases and restores man. Emerson says that to a man “natural forms are a delight” (945). Beauty is necessary for survival but it is extremely useful and helpful. Emerson believes that natural beauty has restorative properties, in that man is reinvigorated by the sight of beauty. He also believes that beauty shows spiritual elements. Only the virtuous can receive the benefits of beauty only when they are pure and do good deeds. Emerson lastly believes that natural beauty has intellectual properties. Natural beauty is shown in thought and action upon those thoughts. Emerson gives his view on nature and beauty. He presents his position well but it is slightly flawed. Emerson is inconsistent and at times seems to contradict himself. Although there are inconsistencies and contradictions, Nature is a great work of American

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Nature In Fahrenheit 451

    310 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Emerson’s article, Nature, the passage shows great value of how man and nature can be similar. The article shows in many ways how man can represent nature, and how nature can represent everything. Emerson’s Nature can be related to Guy Montag’s journey into nature in Fahrenheit 451, and the author’s ways of showing similarity between man and vegetable can be presented as showing how nature is mixed in with literature and humans.

    Read More

  • Emerson And Transcendentalism Comparison

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Emerson’s “Nature” nature is referred to as “plantations of god” meaning that nature is sacred. Also mentioned, is that “In the woods is perpetual youth”(#) conveying that nature keeps people young. Therefore, these excerpts show that nature is greatly valued by these transcendentalists. Transcendentalists would likely care significantly about the environment. In contrast, nowadays nature is often and afterthought. Natures’ resources are being depleted for human use, and the beauty of nature is also not as appreciated by modern people as it was by transcendentalists. The threat to nature in modern times contrasts to the great appreciation of nature held by authors like Emerson and

    Read More

  • Native American Landscape Paintings

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nature in which we live is truly beautiful and something to preserve and treasure. When the Europeans first came to North America, they were immediately in love with the views they encountered. They were interested in wanting to know more about the land, the animals that peeked around, and the people who called it home. Artists such as, John White had heard the tales of what Christopher Columbus had described during his time in North America, which led to them wanting to make their own discoveries (Pohl 140). Everyone had their own opinions and views of the world, but artists were able to capture the natural images and the feeling they had through their paintings (Pohl 140).

    Read More

  • Man And Nature In Emerson And Thoreau

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    Essay question: Compare and contrast the relationship between man and nature in Emerson and Thoreau.

    Read More

  • Romanticism: Human's Connection With Nature In 'Snowbound'

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the Romanticism period, human’s connection with nature was explored as writers strove to find the benefits that humans receive through such interactions. Without such relationships, these authors found that certain aspects of life were missing or completely different. For example, certain authors found death a very frightening idea, but through the incorporation of man’s relationship with the natural world, readers find the immense utility that nature can potentially provide. Whether it’d be as solace, in the case of death, or as a place where one can find oneself in their own truest form, nature will nevertheless be a place where they themselves were derived from. Nature is where all humans originated,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Emerson's Essay 'Nature'

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    Through this quote Ralph Waldo Emerson was trying to prove that the understanding of nature in human is very little, as all humans do is view nature as something that is materialistic. In the first chapter of his essay, "Nature", Emerson says that if humans were to let go of all the materialistic views they have and interact with nature and observe it beyond the items they would understand the true meaning of nature and its value. His theme through this passage is to show that every single object that humans see before their eyes is not nature. The objects that humans see is a piece of art that humans can easily change to become something different. When he describes the farms he sees, Emerson says that no one owns the farms because as a whole the farms are nothing but of the same, meaning they are a whole piece not individual pieces that are scattered. That is the theme that he is trying to portray through this quote and just like stars, though they are always there, everyone just views them as they are always there "for" the humans, but Emerson

    Read More

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nature is the means for God and humanity to be reunited wholly. Emerson's enlightenment in the woods and his appreciation of natural beauty is quite profound. By becoming reconnected to the innocence, beauty and purity of nature Emerson had a revelation. He found himself closer to God. Perhaps Emerson is attempting to persuade us into fostering a greater respect for the natural world? He seems to be displeased with the "culturization" of wilderness.

    Read More

  • Chris McCandless: A True Transcendentalist

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Nature.” The American Experience. Ed. Kate Kinsella. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005. 388-390. Print.

    Read More

  • What Is Emerson's Essay-Nature

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the opening paragraphs of his first chapter, Emerson finds that nature, like stars is always present and creates a reverence in the observer, but is also always inaccessible (14). Emerson also brings forth the idea that not everyone can really observe nature, but one must have the correct mental/spiritual state, as a child might. He discusses the improving aspects one can find in nature - youth, reason, and faith. Intrigued by visual perceptions, he claims that he looses contact with everything but nature becomes a 'transparent eye-ball' and feels that "I am part or parcel of God" (16). Emerson's emphatic words are perhaps the best description of the enthralling emotions of a 'sublime' experience as possible.

    Read More

  • Emily Dickinson's Before I Got My Eye Put Out

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Emily Dickinson’s poem #336, the narrator feels a strong sense of despair and laments at having lost the physical ability to see in one eye. The narrator reflects upon the importance of sight in experiencing nature and finds a better appreciation for it now that she has lost her sight. By the end of the poem however, the narrator experiences transcendence, as she comes to the realization that through the act of imagination she is able to see far more than the limited view her eyes provided her with. Through the act of poetic writing, the narrator is able to capture the beauty of nature and engrave it into her soul. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s excerpt from “Nature”, he alludes to the significance in sight when it comes to being able to merge the human soul with nature to create perfect unity, and as such he lays the groundwork for Dickinson’s ideas that are presented within her poem.

    Read More

  • Dillard and Thoreau Comparison

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Man and Nature in Emerson and Thoreau

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ble in the world and all the objects in nature requires such an impression of wisdom, happiness and simplicity to survive. He urges people to use the pleasure of nature with some self-control because nature always has the colors of the spirit and says that the nature is the component of universe. According to Thoreau, Emersosn and Transcendentalism Emerson’s “Nature” summary and analysis Emerson states that “a man may grasp the underlying meaning of the physical world by living harmoniously with nature, and by loving truth and virtue”

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Nature By Ralph Waldo Emerson

    2046 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nature is an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson where he discusses the symbolism that exists in nature, its manifestations, and the ongoing development of nature toward higher forms. According to Emerson, nature itself can be considered as an experience of solitude (“man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society”). It is his belief that when the individual desires to be alone, he shall look into the immensity of the sky, as it inspires a feeling of awe and respect. To Emerson everything in nature is a source of wisdom, simplicity, and fulfillment (“flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour”). He further believes on the importance of the relationship between man and nature. This relationship between

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Nature And Nature By Ralph Waldo Emerson

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    When one observes a piece of art, whatever medium that maybe, one might be thinking of; the beauty that resides within each piece or the artist and his inspiration. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson in his Essay “Nature”, “A work of art is an abstract or epitome of the world. It is the result or expression of nature, in miniature”. Nature, and art are both very subjective ideas that are open to interpretation. In order to understand what makes art, abstract one must understand the process in which such beauty was created. Emerson describes in this quote that art is a replication of the beauty that is found within nature. Upon closer examination of Emerson’s ideas one can conclude that a link between man and nature is needed for one to understand

    Read More

  • Nature in American Poetry

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882), the leader of the Transcendentalism in New England, is the first American who wrote prose and poem on nature and the relationship between nature and man Emerson's philosophy of Transcendentalism concerning nature is that nature is only another side of God "the gigantic shadow of God cast our senses." Every law in nature has a counterpart in the intellect. There is a perfect parallel between the laws of nature and the laws of thought. Material elements simply represent an inferior plane: wherever you enumerate a physical law, I hear in it a moral rule. His poem The Rhodora is a typical instance to illustrate his above-mentioned ideas on nature. At the very beginning of the poem, the poet found the fresh rhodora in the woods, spreading its leafless blooms in a deep rock, to please the desert and the sluggish brook, while sea-winds pieced their solitudes in May. It is right because of the rhodora that the desert and the sluggish brook are no longer solitudes. Then the poem goes to develop by comparison between the plumes of the redbird and the rhodora . Although the bird is elegant and brilliant, the flower is much more beautiful than the bird. So the sages can not helping asking why this charm is wasted on the earth and sky. The poet answers beauty is its own cause for being just as eyes are made for seeing. There is no other reason but beauty itsel...

    Read More

More about Ralph Waldo Emerson's Argument In Nature

Open Document