Ralph Waldo Emerson's Education

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.

In the essay, “Education”, Ralph Waldo Emerson, a transcendentalist thinker, asserts that Education is damaged and he knows of a solution – the educators. He develops this claim by first introducing the paradox linking “Genius and Drill”, expressing his ideal method of teaching. Throughout the essay, Emerson tends to have a condemning tone against the educator but towards the end he changes it into a comforting one. Emerson’s purpose is to present an alternative style of teaching in order to persuade educators to use the teaching method by using paradoxes, rhetorical questions, and shifts in tone. He establishes an informative and didactic tone for educators who value attention to detail.

1. Emerson's view of an ideal education is respect for what the child wants to pursue. Emerson talks about how a teacher and the parents should respect a childs interests and curiosity. Emerson says, "…to keep his naturel, but to stop off his uproar, fooling, and horseplay." (pg.102). Here Emerson suggests that while a teacher should respect the child's interests, the teacher should also discipline and teach the child manners. Emerson also believes that a child should not be in a strict, traditional classroom, and instead should be allowed to pursue their interests independently.

"In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, - no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball. I am nothing. I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God."

In this essay, Ralph Waldo Emerson describes his view of an ideal education. What are its defining characteristics?

Another reason Emerson’s form of education should be adopted by our school is because students will enjoy learning more. If children were given the opportunity to learn about what they thought to be interesting or important, they would be willing to put more effort and passion into whatever they are studying. Emerson writes on

Emerson has issue with society. He believes that the conformity and “encroachment on peoples’ liberties [hindered the individual.] He says people should look for individual freedom, and in finding that freedom, people will achieve self-reliance” (Yanella 4, 13). More so Emerson does not trust the system that governs society. He sees society as a “joint stock company that is in conspiracy with every one of its members” (“Self-Reliance” 535). Society can be seen as a hindrance on individual thought because a lot of times people will do what society or authority tells them to do without thinking of themselves first.

In Education Ralph Waldo Emerson uses a variety of syntax to engage the reader. The beginning is very effective in the usage of short sentences. This paragraph is talking about how the secret to education lies in respecting the student. The syntax that I like is “Respect the child. Wait and see the new product of Nature.” It then goes on to several more short sentences, but as you can see in this example it is short for a reason. These are meant to point out specific things that teachers should do to create a better education environment for students. On the third page another device is used, which is the usage of several questions in a row. There are seven consecutive rhetorical questions. These help break up the long paragraph and also cause

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character." This quote is a belief that your beliefs show innermost self. Emerson believes that your thoughts and ideas of the world reflect your true self. I agree that your mental outlook of the world is a representation of your real character. Regardless of whether or not you expressed those thoughts and ideas out loud, they still show your true colors. Opinions are just another way of showing the world who you really are. Your attitude on the certain topics and people, marks your stance on the world and show your true beliefs.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emerson is a firm believer of maintaining self-reliance and values rather than following the crowd. He also explains that in order to be truly successful in life, a person must make decisions and trust in his or her judgment. In today’s society, teenagers are more likely to not be self-reliant because the teens feel they will be judged for having different beliefs. People today need to realize that they should not conform to be like the rest of the world, they must not depend on the judgment and criticism of others, and people must refuse to travel somewhere in order to forget their personal problems. Through Emerson’s piece, readers are able to

This was the battle started with the “shot heard ‘round the world” as Ralph Waldo Emerson observed.

his profession as a pastor in search for vital truth and hope. But his father

At that time, American society were extremely influenced by old European culture, Emerson has established a new way for young American scholar in order to change their mind of regard the world. Passionate word choice could be a effective way because it can strike a chord with Emerson’s audience in time. Emerson has described “ We do not meet for games of strength or skill, for the recitation of histories, tragedies, and odes, like the ancient Greeks; for parliaments of love and poesy, like the Troubadours; nor for the advancement of science, like our contemporaries in the British and European capitals.”(468). By using this example, Emerson strengthens his opinion which is warning that people always get knowledge and information from European material. This situation appeals to all scholar who study and work rely on others. With this example, Emerson also uses repetition which including a lot of passionate words to engage his audience by showing the feeling of the author mentions. “In this distribution of functions, the scholar is the delegated intellect. In the right state, he is, Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of others’ thinking.” (Emerson 470) This example covering passionate and rhythmically word choice. In this example, we can see that Emerson introduce his purpose which is “Man Thinking”, in order to clarify his mean point that individuals should not simply receive the knowledge of others. Emerson also believe as a scholar, fraternity should absorb and recreate the knowledge understanding to build there own credibility.The example, along with many others in Emerson’s essay, speaks not only to students from Harvard University but also gives example to warning all scholar. Therefore, Emerson also said “Hence, instead of

Ralph Waldo Emerson							I am writing this essay on the beliefs and thoughts of Ralph Waldo Emerson on the subjects of individuality, society, government, technology, and spirituality.

The form of “Intellect” is comprised of just six lines—which suggests a call to action for the reader to listen to his wise words. The short form produces a riddle-like tone; it follows a strict rhyme scheme and a very strong rhythm. The lines are end rhymed—this, coupled with the length of the poem—produces an almost child-like simplicity. The morals hidden in “Intellect” aren’t simple per se, nevertheless we are reminded of the riddles of our primary school days; we remember the catchy rhythm and traditional morals we learned from these riddles. The rhythm and meter are also vital aspects of this poem’s structure: each line contains seven syllables and begins with a stressed syllable. This didactic rhythm jumps out of the page at the reader, causing us to pay attention. The stressed and unstressed syllable pattern produces a sing-song effect; the poem beckons us to listen to the wise counsel of Emerson with a child-like openness and implores the reader to find the moral that Emerson is trying to get across.