Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson’s writings are full and not always easy to grasp. To help you understand him, I am assigning excerpts from his three major essays. I have tried to frame my questions to help you understand as you read. These excerpts will give you an overall idea of Emerson’s philosophy without getting bogged down with too much difficult reading.
While it is imperative that you read all three excerpts from the Emerson essays, I am only requiring that you respond in writing to TWO essays. You must write the assigned summary of Nature; then you may choose either to answer the questions on The American Scholar or interpret the quotes from Self-Reliance.
Nature
First of all, be sure to read the footnote to Nature. Emerson’s main point in the introduction is that we should not experience nature (or life) through the eyes of “foregoing generations.” We should experience nature on a personal level. He questions, “Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should we not have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?” Basically, the transcendentalists expressed faith in the intuition of the individual; each individual should experience life for himself or herself and should create a personal philosophy based on insight – not on what tradition has taught. Keep that in mind as you read the excerpt from Nature.
Your assignment for Nature is to express Emerson’s main points in your own words. Summarize chapter 1. Follow the format below and consider the questions for each section.
1. The first two paragraphs. What is his point about the stars? What does he mean by “Nature never wears a mean appearance?”
2. The third paragraph. What is the difference between the wood-cutter and the poet? How does a poet view nature?
3. The fourth paragraph. What is the point Emerson makes about children/adults in relation to nature? What does nature do for those who take the time to experience it? What do you make of the following quote?
4. The fifth and sixth paragraphs. Focus on this quote from paragraph six: “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” Do you see a similarity in Emerson’s message and these opening lines of “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant? Explain the connection.
