Ralph (otherwise known as Waldo) Emerson was an American, poet, author, and transcendentalist. Born on the 25th of May, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was known as the “Sage of Concord” in literary circles, he became the chief spokesman for transcendentalism; American philosophic and literary movement.
Emerson studied at Harvard and taught for a brief time before being appointed to minister (1826) and ordained to the Unitarian Church (1829). The same year as his ordainment, Emerson married Ellen Tucker, and after her death (1831) from tuberculosis he resigned from the clergy, stricken with grief. The next year traveling to Europe, Emerson came into contact with Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Carlyle, a Scottish-born English …show more content…
I believe that Emerson was simply conveying his basic philosophy of self-reliance. As the essay was titled, Self-Reliance (1841). For example, “Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of the whole life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession. That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.” This quote from Self-Reliance (1841) discusses again, his basic belief of relying on one’s self. Another common trait of the quotes is the idea of a person standing out among others, and doing this by using the “toil bestowed upon that plot of ground which is given to him.” To further analyze this, the metaphor that he utilizes states, “…that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.” This plainly recounts that in order for someone to “nourish” or sustain themselves in a manner that is unique from common circumstances, one must use what has been given to him.
ii. As stated previously (paragraph i.), a common characteristic of transcendentalism in the power of the individual. Individualism is evident throughout all of the quotes that which I read. Nature, another typical aspect of Transcendentalism, is shown in the metaphors used by Emerson, along with the notion of being one with nature, as shown in the quote, “The power …show more content…
In modern day society I believe that people have already accepted the concept of individualism. Although, it also needs be put to use. In society, the public has the tendency to copy each other, or be afraid of sticking out. Similar to a herd of sheep, once one goes, everyone else follows. This thought process also makes it somewhat difficult for some people to stand out. Yet another concept that should be taken away from this is intuition. I feel that the “inner voice” or instinct, should be something that is trusted more today, or just plainly stating the fact the use of common sense isn’t as frequent as it probably should
Emerson studied at Harvard and taught for a brief time before being appointed to minister (1826) and ordained to the Unitarian Church (1829). The same year as his ordainment, Emerson married Ellen Tucker, and after her death (1831) from tuberculosis he resigned from the clergy, stricken with grief. The next year traveling to Europe, Emerson came into contact with Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Carlyle, a Scottish-born English …show more content…
I believe that Emerson was simply conveying his basic philosophy of self-reliance. As the essay was titled, Self-Reliance (1841). For example, “Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of the whole life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession. That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.” This quote from Self-Reliance (1841) discusses again, his basic belief of relying on one’s self. Another common trait of the quotes is the idea of a person standing out among others, and doing this by using the “toil bestowed upon that plot of ground which is given to him.” To further analyze this, the metaphor that he utilizes states, “…that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.” This plainly recounts that in order for someone to “nourish” or sustain themselves in a manner that is unique from common circumstances, one must use what has been given to him.
ii. As stated previously (paragraph i.), a common characteristic of transcendentalism in the power of the individual. Individualism is evident throughout all of the quotes that which I read. Nature, another typical aspect of Transcendentalism, is shown in the metaphors used by Emerson, along with the notion of being one with nature, as shown in the quote, “The power …show more content…
In modern day society I believe that people have already accepted the concept of individualism. Although, it also needs be put to use. In society, the public has the tendency to copy each other, or be afraid of sticking out. Similar to a herd of sheep, once one goes, everyone else follows. This thought process also makes it somewhat difficult for some people to stand out. Yet another concept that should be taken away from this is intuition. I feel that the “inner voice” or instinct, should be something that is trusted more today, or just plainly stating the fact the use of common sense isn’t as frequent as it probably should