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The American Scholar Rhetorical Analysis

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In, “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson talk about his displeasure about how societal curriculum replicated person after another, in order to clarify that there are more efficient way to become a successful scholar. In this essay, Emerson has made distinctions between the 'old world thinking' of Europe and America. Emerson also thinks the American way should be new and different from old word thinking. Along with this main point, Emerson believes an American Scholar should be "Man Thinking,” which means being more independent, and students should get knowledge by their first hand experience through things such as nature, action, and books. In the speech at Harvard University, Emerson’s audience were a group of students from Harvard …show more content…

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

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