Analysis Of The Main Ideas In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Poetry
Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson is centered around the foundation of transcendentalism which is the appreciation of nature in an individualized manner. Transcendentalism is the belief that God suffuses nature thus that reality can be understood by studying nature. “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ” (Nature Chapter 1) This is a way of individualizing the act of appreciating and studying nature “a man should to detect and watch their gleam of which flashes across his mind” (Self Reliance Page 1) This means that people should be able to anguish what occurs in their mind and by having self-control. Emerson goes on to state that people recognize their own substandard thought but those thought always end up coming back to them. Self-control is a very important skill to have as it is a vital key in achieving one’s goals. People who have high self-control tend to have a higher self-esteem and do better in their everyday lives while also maintaining faith which is what allows them to act upon themselves.
Emerson believes that there are three types of beauty in the nature, they are physical, spiritual, and intellectual beauty. Although Emerson classifies beauty into three different sections, he believes that they all are basically the same thing. He states that people should not be viewed as beautiful because of their appearance but rather for their “spiritual beauty” which is their compassion, tender-heartedness, and love. It can also be stated that individuals can achieve spiritual growth in their lives when they become one with nature. What becoming one with nature means is that you are soaking up all of what nature gives you in life, and according to many individuals there is no better feeling than the feeling of becoming one with nature. There are many simple ways to become one with nature such as going for a walk without any distractions and just breathing in the fresh air which nature provides and admiring the beauty of the world that we live in. Emerson is a firm believer that if you do not fall into one of these groups than you cannot be “one” with nature,
In Nature, Emerson argues that humans do not appreciate beauty in this world as they should, he believes that humans are too distracted by society’s problems and demands around them to really appreciate natures beauty: 'To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. ” (Emerson) This quote by Emerson further supports his belief that humans need to appreciate the beauty of nature in their own personalized ways. Emerson also adds that the capacity of natural beauty is able to stimulate the human intellect, which is also used to learn more about the universe. Becoming one with nature and appreciating its beauty can help individuals “find” themselves and help them spiritually by allowing them to make connections in their lives: “Nothing divine dies. All good is eternally reproductive.
The beauty of nature reforms itself in the mind, and not for barren contemplation, but for new creation. ” (Nature, Chapter 3). This quote is a perfect representation of the why individuals need to appreciate nature while they are on this earth because unlike beauty all humans eventually do die, and their beauty comes to an end. It can be said that nature is a metaphor for the society that we live around, where individuals are one with nature and they need each other to survive. For example, humans need nature to survive as nature gives humans water, oxygen, and shelter and humans give back to nature in many ways that include eating animals to prevent over population of species.
In Emerson’s Self Reliance it is revealed that Emerson is a firm believer in the idea that individuals must trust thyself and the environment around them to be able to succeed: “Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for. ” (Emerson, Self-Reliance).
Emerson emphasizes the importance of individuals following their own beliefs and wills rather than trying to transform their ideas to match the beliefs of others in society: “I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching. ” (Emerson, Self Reliance) He also states that it is more important to follow one’s own voice rather than an intermediary’s voice like a church, in addition to this Emerson encourages individual to establish their own customs and culture instead of following others while also focusing on their own progress rather than worrying about the rest of society’s advances and problems: “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. ” (Emerson, Self Reliance) This quote by Emerson is a perfect example of his argument in Self Reliance because it adds on to the points, he made about individuals putting themselves first and worrying about themselves rather that trying to follow the trends and “norms” of society.
The Poet, by Emerson shares his thoughts about what classifies a person as a poet while also explaining how a poet can appreciate nature when writing by going outside and looking at nature in different ways to be inspired and appreciative of natural surroundings. Emerson believes that a good poet does not focus solely on the technicalities of poetry while creating poetry but rather: “for it is not meters, but a meter-making argument, that makes a poem,—a thought so passionate and alive, that, like the spirit of a plant or an animal, it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. ”( Emerson) He believes that a poet should “penetrate the mysteries of the universe” and not overthink while creating poetry about nature’s beauty. Writing poetry about nature is also a great way to really appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of nature while not even knowing it.
To conclude Emerson was a very intelligent individual who had a different way of looking at the world by appreciating what was in front of him. The thing that was in front of him was nature, and he appreciated it while trying to encourage others to do the same. By writing Nature and Self Reliance, Emerson changed the way literature and philosophy are and without his beliefs and idealisms literature and the appreciation of nature would likely not be the same as it is today. He inspired so many individuals to step out of their comfort zone and explore many fashions of life that they likely would never have explored without Emerson’s works. To sum up, Emerson once stated that nothing divine dies and it is a factual statement as just like beauty that lives on in our hearts and minds Emerson’s beliefs and ideas about nature will never die and as generations go on Emerson’s legend and principles will live on.
