What Is An American Scholar, By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Richard Louv uses Logos in several different ways throughout this selection. He collects research from many different studies, interviews parents, and finds sources from history. In his second chapter especially, he uses numerous examples of scientific experiments to back his point that people really do not have an adequate realization of the difference between humans and animals. In his third chapter, he conducted an interview with a parent who had moved to a certain neighborhood because of the abundance of outdoor areas. Louv uses this interview to illustrate his point that even if nature is available, it really is not supposed to be used for unstructured recreation. In his second chapter, he draws on U.S. Census Bureau reports to illustrate the decline of the family farm. He uses historical events and ideas to show his idea of the romanticizing of the American frontier. Through these concrete examples, he is able to persuade the reader that his ideas and theories are valid.

Both Henry David Thoreau and Christopher McCandless ventured out into the woods to get away from the dreariness of everyday society and to find themselves. Only one lived to tell the tale. What was the fatal flaw of the man who didn’t continue on? The only way to find this is to analyze the differences and similarities between the two. McCandless, while embracing some of the same values as Thoreau, was ultimately a different man. While they led very contrasting lives in very distant times, both McCandless and Thoreau sought a type of freedom that can only be achieved when immersed in nature. Thoreau’s entitlement and cozy cabin in the woods is a far cry from McCandless’s constant struggle during his expedition, however, certain parallels

He asked thought provoking questions to outline the struggles these individuals faced. He even connected this with more examples or how difficult it was to only rely on the desire to farm alone, and without the support of kingdoms. Crevecoeur truly believes Europeans became superior in America with diverse backgrounds from home. His use of language helped contribute to his point that Europeans have grown so much in America. As a farmer and someone who has traveled across America he deserves to be listened

This essay depicts a relationship between society and nature, referring to the woods. Society is changing rather quickly which prevents an individual from truly seeing everything around them. It has destroyed nature and the clarity that the woods provide. Berry notices how people do not see where they are anymore. Many are going through life never actually looking to see what is around them or observing closer. He goes into the woods and immerse himself in nature. As Berry states, “The faster

In Thomas Cole’s Essay on American Scenery, the reader is able to appreciate Cole’s predilection and love for the American scenery. It is his belief this scenery is superior to the European scenery, since the latter’s “primitive features of scenery have long since been destroyed or modified … to accommodate the tastes and necessities of a dense population.” However, Cole presents his audience with a gloomy prophecy about America’s future, which he believes will be the same as Europe’s. Still, while acknowledging that industrialization could eventually take over many natural regions, Cole is hopeful that nature will remain victorious, since it will still be predominant. Because of this, he advises the American people to take advantage of

American transcendentalism was a vital movement in philosophy and literature that grew over time. One person who stood out from american transcendentalism was, Ralph Waldo Emerson. He expressed his ideas and values through one of his works, Nature. There he broadcasted the relationships between God, man, and nature. Someone who would be seen in this movement would be, Chris McCandless as a transcendentalist. The novel,, Into the Wild, shares the decisions Chris made during his nomadic life style. The lives of Chris McCandless and Ralph Waldo Emerson as exhibited in the novel, Into the Wild and the essay, Nature fulfill as examples of the contrasts of each man’s journey through life and transcendentalism.

In “The Trouble with Wilderness,” William Cronon illustrates the paradox within the notion of wilderness, describing that if wilderness is that which lies beyond civilization -- beyond humankind, then so is the notion of nature outside the realm of the human... that humans are therefore, unnatural. Further, he explains that if our concept of nature (and ultimately our concept of God) is outside of humanity, then our existence is synonymous with the downfall of nature. That wilderness is purely a construct of civilization is central to this argument.  For example, Cronon asserts that “the removal of Indians to create an ‘uninhabited wilderness’---uninhabited as never before in human history of the place---reminds us just how invented, just how constructed, the American wilderness really is” (pg.79). Instead of in isolation from civilization, Cronon finds that his most spiritual experiences with nature have always been closer to home… a sense of wildness (versus wilderness) can be found in one’s backyard, gazing from a front porch, and in the melding of the human experience with mother nature. One of Into the Wild’s final scenes drives home this idea by altering the literal point of view that main character, Chris McCandless, has had of both himself and of the world since the beginning of his two year journey.  Into the Wild attempts to dramatizes Cronon’s argument to rethink wilderness; we will examine how the film succeeds, and where it fails, to support its premise.

“Nature” is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and published by James Munroe and Company in 1836. [1] “Nature” has a total of 41 pages. The essay consists of eight parts: Nature, Commodity, Beauty, Language, Discipline, Idealism, Spirit and Prospects. Each part takes a different perspective on the relationship between humans and nature. In this essay, Emerson emphasizes the foundation of transcendentalism, “a religious and philosophical movement that developed during the late 1820s and 30s in the Eastern region of the United States as protest against the general state of spirituality and, in particular, the state of intellectualism.” [2] “Transcendentalism suggests that the divine, or God, suffuses nature, and suggests that reality can be understood by studying nature.” [3] “Transcendentalism is closely related to Unitarianism, the dominant religious movement in Boston at the early nineteenth century. Transcendentalism evolved as an organic consequence of the Unitarian emphasis on free conscience and the value of intellectual reason.” [4] Emerson divides nature into four stages: commodity, beauty, language, and discipline. These define the ways by which humans use nature for their basic needs. The historical significance of “Nature” was that transcendentalism club led the celebration of the American experiment as one of the individualism and self-reliance. [5]

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the giants during the 19th century American Transcendentalism movement. Their influential work brought upon shared beliefs on concerning spiritual perspectives, government interference, and the ideology of cultural values in American society. Nature has a multitude of meaning if looked at it from all angles, but deeper within nature is the reflection of what you exert while in it. However they agree on the human condition, the two authors speak with different tones that reflect how nature affects the entirety of man’s spirit. While both Emerson and Thoreau practice the spirit of the human condition, Emerson focused his energy on how “[nature’s] philosophical import [is]…unchanged by man” (215.) where Thoreau implied that we are “subjects of an experiment” (1051).

The writings of Emerson and Thoreau truly impressed me. This was my first time reading works from either of the authors. Thoreau embodies many aspects of Emerson’s description of the American

Yet Americans in this period also revered nature and admired its beauty; the spirit of nationalism fed the growing appreciation of the uniqueness of the American wilderness

In ‘Into the Wild’, Chris McCandless demonstrated his identity through his actions by embarking off on a journey to Alaska. He only believed in one thing: nature. He wanted to be one with nature, and not work to meet society’s standards. To elicit his independence, he submersed himself in the thoughts and ideals that he believed in. There are many similarities between Chris’ beliefs and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s

Nature and wilderness were very important ideas to some extant for St. John de Crevecoeur and Ralph Waldo Emerson, each had their own opinions and ideas that contrasted against each other and were somewhat similar to each other. Emerson who valued it and looked at the nature as something to proud of had used it many times in his works as examples and that we are part of nature as well and make whatever choices from it as it can from us. While Crevecoeur believes that in every land it has its own form of culture as it does its own kind of nature, and describes how the land and nature was then and how it will be giving details of it in his pieces of work. How they use and see nature is described equally important in both their works “the American Scholar” and “What is an American” but shows how different their views really are in them.

Imagine, someone waking up this morning conducting the normal routine; shower, drink coffee, and watch the news. What will they see when they turn the television on? Protest, hate crimes, and stock markets dropping. Okay, so now imagine a new world. In this world the same person conducts the exact same routine only this time when they turn on the television they see a cure for cancer has been found, 30,000 homeless people have been given a shelter, and the war is officially over. Which scenario would the average person choose? The second one. If only there was a way! But wait, there is! “The American Scholar” by Ralph Emerson is an essay that describes the process and necessary traits of one man who could make a difference in the world. This man must become one with nature, find a balance in literature and past, undergo labor and hardship and complete the appropriate duties as outlined in the essay. Sounds easy, right? Think again! The theory of an American scholar could be very beneficial, the concept, however, it is based off a very fine line that has been set by a single man. Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones from “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow” by Irving Washington will be used in the following paragraphs to show just how difficult it is for one man to achieve the proper qualifications of an American Scholar but when combined could conquer many problems. In order for man to conduct a peace treaty they must know how to conduct themselves. One will understand thyself better upon

In American Literature many authors write about nature and how nature affects man's lives. In life, nature is an important part of people. Many people live, work, or partake in revelry in nature. Nature has received attention from authors spanning several centuries. Their attitudes vary over time and also reflect the different outlooks of the authors who chose to discuss this important historical movement. A further examination of this movement, reveals prevalence of nature's influence on man and how it affects their lives.