English 11 Literature #12 Mr. Rinka Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 –1882) was an essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was considered to be the champion of individualism and a critic of conformity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his 1836 essay, “Nature.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson wrote on a number of subjects developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to realize almost anything, and the relationship between the soul and the world that surrounds it.

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophy that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in New England as a protest to the general state of culture and society. The transcendentalists' core belief was the inherent goodness of both man and nature.

Transcendentalism Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions – particularly organized religion and political parties -corrupted the purity of the individual.

Transcendentalism They had faith that man is at his best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. It is only from such real individuals that true community could be formed.

“Self-Reliance” This essay is the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas

“Self-Reliance” "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson UTjIw

“Self-Reliance” Self- Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Discussion of “Self-Reliance” What is the meaning of this quote? There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide: that he must take himself for better, for worse,…

Every person eventually learns that wanting what others have or wanting to be what others are is unwise and purposeless. To copy what others do, say, believe or think is to destroy our unique individuality. We all must accept and fulfill our unique roles, thus living life to its fullest potential.

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. What does Emerson mean? The metaphor of an iron string creates an image of a permanent connection among all of life that is “plucked” by the divine and vibrates in everything.

Each individual must answer that Vibration’s call with his/her unique response because in doing so the connected forms of life reverberate in harmony.

Self-reliance is the opposing force to conformity. What is conformity? Conformity is a state of living one’s life that follows what the majority of people believe, how they act, and what they value. One could become robotic.

What could be the dangers of conformity? Too much conformity would lead to lack of imagination, creativity, innovation and open-mindedness. Prejudice, bias, and rejection of differences would be very limiting and dangerous for a society. People would be easy to control.

Who did Emerson see as some of History’s great non-conformists? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood…

How was the time and place “ripe” for Emerson’s ideas? The newly established democracy in the United States that emphasized political freedom was perfect for the concept of freeing one’s inner freedom and individuality.

“Nature” "Nature" is the first significant work to establish this new way of looking at The Americas and its raw, natural environment. In England, all natural things are a reference to layers of historical events, a reflection of human beings. However, in

“Nature” America, all of nature was relatively new to Western Civilization with no man-made meaning. In America, Emerson was enabled to see nature through new eyes, or as he phrased it, the "transparent eyeball" and rebuild nature's role in the world.

“Nature” Emerson divides nature into four usages; Commodity, Beauty, Language and Discipline. These distinctions define the ways by which humans use nature for their basic needs, their desire for delight, their communication with one

“Nature” another and their understanding of the world.

“Nature” Nature

Discussion of “Nature” To whom does Emerson attribute the ability to appreciate nature? The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and

outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.

Discussion of “Nature” What happens to man immersed in in the proper relationship with nature? my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become

a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.

Discussion of “Nature” According to Emerson, how should man treat Nature? It is necessary to use these pleasures with great temperance. For, nature is not always tricked in holiday attire, but the same scene which yesterday

breathed perfume and glittered as for the frolic of the nymphs, is overspread with melancholy today.

Discussion of “Nature” How would Emerson feel about the way we humans relate to Nature today? Emerson would be pleased to see the amount of land that has been set aside for nature preserves. He

would take pleasure in seeing how many people vacation in the wild, and he would applaud the number of parks in our cities. On the other hand, he would be very disturbed with how we pollute the air and water, over develop the land, and drain the earth of all its resources. I think he would be very

confused with our love for nature on the one hand and our abuse and disrespect for it on the other. Emerson would blame our feeling of superiority over nature for our failures and point to our love of nature as the true compass we should follow when dealing with our environment.

Discussion In a Socratic Seminar explore this topic: How do you view the natural world in relation to human beings? Are humans superior to other elements of the natural world or are we just a part of the whole of nature?

Additional Assignment #1 Read “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Analysis: Concord Hymn Concord Hymn Analysis

Additional Assignment #2 Read “The Snow Storm” by Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Snow Storm Journal #13: Write a description of one of your favorite natural settings.

English 11 Literature #12 Mr. Rinka Ralph Waldo Emerson