Emerson's Influence On Education

     As imperative as individualism was to Emerson, developing one’s soul was even more so. The process in developing one’s soul was just as important. He states, “But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future (Emerson 157).” The word “heedless” means “carelessly” and by using the word “riches” Emerson means nature. What he meant by using these words together was that men forget about the beauty in nature because we see it all too often to notice it. Men are too wrapped up in their lives and thinking about the future that they overlook the splendor that nature has to offer. He also states, “These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God today (Emerson 157).” With this, Emerson is trying to convey the fact that God is present in nature and all its beauty.

By appealing to reason and stimulating guilt, Ralph Waldo Emerson aims to reveal the problems in America's education system to those involved with education.

Above all, education is important. Rather it be the education we get from our schooling, or the education we get from the things we learn externally. The author, Mark Twain, has a quote that says, “ I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”, this quote can be interpreted differently, depending on the standpoint of the person reading it. Some authors that would universally agree with this would be: Francine Prose, she wrote the essay, I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read,  another author, Ralph Emerson, he wrote an essay called,  from Education, and yet another, Kyoko Mori, she wrote an essay called School. There is an image that could be related to the text as well that was painted by Norman Rockwell, and it's named The

Throughout human existence, scholars have earnestly pursued knowledge and the attainment of truth. Historical figures such as Plato, Descartes, and Emerson sought answers to daunting questions of: ‘What is truth?’; ‘What is reality?’; ‘How is wisdom acquired?’ Many scholars believe these philosophers presented conflicting viewpoints: Plato encouraging skepticism among all previous historical, cultural, and personal perspectives; Descartes questioning definitions of reality and his very existence; Emerson encouraging self-trust and confidence in one’s ideals, opinions, and convictions. Surprisingly, reconciliation can be reached from these three differing hypotheses. Emerson’s thesis merely expounds from Descartes and Plato’s

7. Emerson believes that an adult who is educated through his system would be a great scholar. “Talk of Columbus and Newton!” He believes not only would they be a genius, but they would know how to act in society. They would be very proper, while also very smart. They would be a very respectable person in society too. Emerson believes they would be the start of a revolution of mankind.

These scholars, in their quest for excellence both revert back to simplicity. In both works children, and child-like thought are exalted. Emerson is awes at the freedom of a child, seeing it as god-like independence. He says a child conforms to no one, but rather all conform to the child. Whitman speaks of the wonder of a child contemplating what grass is.

Ralph Waldo Emerson ingrained into America his acts of individualism, independence, and the general appreciation of nature. Though his ideas were sometimes controversial, he influenced many young minds with this teachings.

Emerson probably would imagine an adult that would emerge from an education based on the principles he supports would be hungry for the truth, would look towards the future and learning, would not be afraid to share his ideas but what know for the most part right from wrong, and he would have enthusiasm associated to learning. This adult be it a girl or boy will be a college of knowledge or a wealth of knowledge with their own thoughts and opinions.

Emerson supports individualism by arguing the importance of thinking for yourself rather than conforming to other people’s ideas. This is made evident in the first few sentences of his essay, “To believe in your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, - that is genius.” Thereby saying those who abandon personal instinct and choose to rely on others opinion, abandon creativity by denying the world their impression based on their own individual experience. He argues Moses, Plato, and Milton should be honored because they spoke what they thought, and did not use the books, traditions, or words of others. However, very few people do this today, instead “he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his.” This absence of self-reliance does

According to the book, many antebellum writers wrestled with the conviction that American literature and culture were not living up to their Revolutionary and democratic promises, and many of these writers incited and participated in various efforts at reform. But during this time, there were also a variety of concepts about what constituted reform. Emerson viewed reform as vital to his cultural moment and was active in opposing slavery, asserting the value of temperance and supporting women’s suffrage. He is more known, however, for his founding role in what many literary historians have termed the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson’s Transcendental writings amounted to a call for philosophical and literary reform. He inspired Henry David

The Egyptians were one of the first advanced civilizations and they created perhaps the world’s greatest wonder in the Pyramids. The Roman empire, closely tied with the Egyptians in history, were lead by Julius Caesar who laid the groundwork for the Senate and the very idea of democracy that prevails in the United States of America. Jesus Christ himself could be considered an ideal example of an individual who broke the mold of his time in his convictions and his faith which he died believing in and laid the foundation for the largest religion in history.. Even more nefarious people of history such as Napoleon Bonaparte or Adolf Hitler differentiated themselves from their peers and shaped the course of the ideas of evil and cruelty. Many of these figures shared the commonality of being quite distant from their fellow beings in their eccentricities and principles. The themes of Emerson are greatly supported by looking that these individuals and what made them differ from their fellow man and

2. According to Emerson, what quality do all great men (and women) have, and what should each individual do in imitation of them?

Another lesson I learned from Emerson’s book From Self Reliance is that I need to be able to rely on myself for things. I can’t depend on others all the time. Transcendentalists like Emerson believed that having self reliance is one of the most important things a person can have. Emerson said, “nothing is at last sacred as the integrity of our own minds.” (Emerson) This means that everyone should use their own mind, and not have to rely on others all the time. This also correlates with the transcendentalist belief of confidence in your own abilities. People have to be able to rely on themselves to make good choices and get through the challenges life has. Choices such as diet, physical activity, relationships, etc. should be self made choices.

In “On Education,” Ralph Waldo Emerson weaves together a web of metaphors to demonstrate the benefits of education to celebrate the values of the individual student. To begin, as a proponent of education which caters to students’ personal desires, Emerson laments the denigration of educational institutions: “The college was to be the nurse and home of genius” (Emerson 191). Here, the motherly component of “nursing” starkly contrasts to the traditional stringent, disciplinarian approach that serves to encourage, promote, and nurture individual “genius”. Moreover, in stating that colleges are nurses and homes, Emerson suggests that colleges must simultaneously serve the opposing goals of nurturing genius and allowing preexisting genius to flourish;

Before junior year I have contemplated who would be an appropriate role model for this essay. I considered many potential leaders, but finally decided on Ralph Waldo Emerson. I made this decision after reading many of his works in my AP Language and Composition course and through I knew him as a transcendentalist from the mid-19th century, I had never ventured deeply into his works and beliefs until this year. Immediately, I felt connected to him as he was a faithful and intelligent man who shared many of my same beliefs. Not only was he a Christian, as I am, but his perception of the church, society, and nature was congruent with my own beliefs. The language he used throughout his essays was so eloquent that I found myself enjoying annotating his texts, rather than seeing it as a mere homework assignment. As I read I found myself writing down nearly every quote from the essay as everything he said seemed to be so poetic and agreeable. He stated in his essay Nature, “I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me,” which struck me as I felt I was having a conversation with him while I read, or listening to a sermon rather than reading words off a page. Emerson’s religious beliefs, perception of American society, and the beauty he finds in nature were awe inspiring and beliefs which I too shared.