“I greet you on the re-commencement of our literary year. Our anniversary is one of hope, and, perhaps, not enough of labor. 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. Thus far, out holiday has been simply a friendly sign of the survival of the love of letters amongst a people too busy to give to letters any more. As such, it is precious as the sign of an indestructible instinct.” (p.181)
This passage of Emerson’s speech makes a clear distinction between the "us" and the "other". Although the Americans of his time, according to him, were “a people too busy to give to letters any more.”, they still loved academia, and humanities in this specific case, dearly. They were, therefore, different from the ancient Greeks, the contemporary British, and the Troubadours. They were busy working in the industry, and one could even go as far as saying, creating the New World. It is, therefore, easy to identify what is called American Exceptionalism in this speech. There are a “them”, those of the old continent (Europe), and an “us” of the New World who are too busy to attest to the humanities.
"The scholar is that man who must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contributions of the past, all the hopes of the future. He must be a universe of knowledges." Emerson asked his audience to embrace their unique cultural heritage. The scholar shouldn’t be held back by traditions nor by the past but instead should trust their own intuition and experience. Emerson celebrates the individual’s capacity for original thought and encourages them to engage directly with nature to cultivate their intellect. All in all, Emerson highlights the spirit of intellectual independence and creativity. “The world is nothing, the man is all; in yourself is the law of all nature.”
“Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. What is the right use? What is the one end, which all means go to effect? They are for nothing but to inspire. I had better never see a book, than to be warped by its attraction clean out of my own orbit, and made a satellite instead of a system. The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul. This every man is entitled to; this every man contains within him, although, in almost all men, obstructed, and as yet unborn.”
In this excerpt, Ralph Waldo Emerson starts by reflecting on the purpose of literature. He begins by recognizing the value and importance of books, but also their misusage and abuse “among the worst”. He proceeds by questioning the goal of literature, defending that books are meant to inspire and influence, even saying that they can be compared to a “satellite”– books should be used a form of guidance. He goes on to defend the concept of the “active soul”, entitled to every man. However, most men have not yet developed this part of their being. We could, then, perhaps, say that books, when well used, can guide the man and help him discover his “active soul”.
Thinking about the present, the power and purpose of literature is still an ongoing discussion topic. Books can, indeed, not only give us knowledge on the past, but also help us understand the world, and many different aspects of our society, such as science, history or philosophy. In fact, “The American Scholar” is a proof of the importance of literature, in this case, to comprehend the ideas and beliefs of Emerson, but also of other man of his time, allowing us to understand better the 19th century History and Culture of the United States.
“There is one man of genius […], whose literary value has never yet been rightly estimated — I mean Emanuel Swedenborg. The most imaginative of men, […] he saw and showed the connection between nature and the affections of the soul. He pierced the emblematic or spiritual character of the visible, audible, tangible world […] he showed the mysterious bond that allies moral evil to the foul material forms.”
Emerson revolutions the term “scholar”, giving it a new meaning to serve as “model” for the present and future generations. Here, he praises Swedenborg, setting him as an example, a scholar (although not praised enough, a fact which spaces for itself why change is very needed) capable of successfully intertwining a relationship between the Man, the Nature and the Divine, in order to improve a better understanding of Humanity and promove spiritual growth (“the affections of the soul”) in each of us. Transcendentalism is very powerful in this quote, since the author encourages the reader to look beyond the physical environment “visible, audible, tangible world”, the “foul material forms”. At the very bottom of that page, the following quote “The world is nothing, the man is all” (again, understanding the “world” as a physical realm) is a very beautiful, succinct statement of what is regarded above.
"Of course, there is a portion of reading quite indispensable to a wise man. History and exact science he must learn by laborious reading. Colleges, in like manner, have their indispensable office, - to teach elements. But they can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create; when they gather from far every ray of various genius to their hospitable halls, and, by the concentrated fires, set the hearts of their youth on flame." (p.184) Last paragraph.
Emerson's perspective on the roles of college resonates strongly with the experience of many students of today. Many students enter college with the expectation of gaining knowledge that will help their carreers and their lives. However they often find that the curriculum focuses more on the memorization of information. This all relates to the first sentence of this paragraph "laborious reading" (p.184), because the college's purpose shouldn't be to just give its students the knowledge and skills they want, but to give the "elements" and the "fire in their hearts" necessary for the students themselves to acquire the knowledge and skills they search for in a college education. As Emerson very well said, "(... they can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create;)
Passage chosen (first page of the speech):
ReplyDelete“I greet you on the re-commencement of our literary year. Our anniversary is one of hope, and, perhaps, not enough of labor. 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. Thus far, out holiday has been simply a friendly sign of the survival of the love of letters amongst a people too busy to give to letters any more. As such, it is precious as the sign of an indestructible instinct.” (p.181)
This passage of Emerson’s speech makes a clear distinction between the "us" and the "other". Although the Americans of his time, according to him, were “a people too busy to give to letters any more.”, they still loved academia, and humanities in this specific case, dearly. They were, therefore, different from the ancient Greeks, the contemporary British, and the Troubadours. They were busy working in the industry, and one could even go as far as saying, creating the New World. It is, therefore, easy to identify what is called American Exceptionalism in this speech. There are a “them”, those of the old continent (Europe), and an “us” of the New World who are too busy to attest to the humanities.
"The scholar is that man who must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contributions of the past, all the hopes of the future. He must be a universe of knowledges."
ReplyDeleteEmerson asked his audience to embrace their unique cultural heritage. The scholar shouldn’t be held back by traditions nor by the past but instead should trust their own intuition and experience. Emerson celebrates the individual’s capacity for original thought and encourages them to engage directly with nature to cultivate their intellect. All in all, Emerson highlights the spirit of intellectual independence and creativity. “The world is nothing, the man is all; in yourself is the law of all nature.”
(page 191)
ReplyDelete“Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. What is the right use? What is the one end, which all means go to effect? They are for nothing but to inspire. I had better never see a book, than to be warped by its attraction clean out of my own orbit, and made a satellite instead of a system. The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul. This every man is entitled to; this every man contains within him, although, in almost all men, obstructed, and as yet unborn.”
ReplyDeleteIn this excerpt, Ralph Waldo Emerson starts by reflecting on the purpose of literature. He begins by recognizing the value and importance of books, but also their misusage and abuse “among the worst”. He proceeds by questioning the goal of literature, defending that books are meant to inspire and influence, even saying that they can be compared to a “satellite”– books should be used a form of guidance. He goes on to defend the concept of the “active soul”, entitled to every man. However, most men have not yet developed this part of their being. We could, then, perhaps, say that books, when well used, can guide the man and help him discover his “active soul”.
Thinking about the present, the power and purpose of literature is still an ongoing discussion topic. Books can, indeed, not only give us knowledge on the past, but also help us understand the world, and many different aspects of our society, such as science, history or philosophy. In fact, “The American Scholar” is a proof of the importance of literature, in this case, to comprehend the ideas and beliefs of Emerson, but also of other man of his time, allowing us to understand better the 19th century History and Culture of the United States.
- Beatriz Bicudo Cunha
“There is one man of genius […], whose literary value has never yet been rightly estimated — I mean Emanuel Swedenborg. The most imaginative of men, […] he saw and showed the connection between nature and the affections of the soul. He pierced the emblematic or spiritual character of the visible, audible, tangible world […] he showed the mysterious bond that allies moral evil to the foul material forms.”
ReplyDeleteEmerson revolutions the term “scholar”, giving it a new meaning to serve as “model” for the present and future generations. Here, he praises Swedenborg, setting him as an example, a scholar (although not praised enough, a fact which spaces for itself why change is very needed) capable of successfully intertwining a relationship between the Man, the Nature and the Divine, in order to improve a better understanding of Humanity and promove spiritual growth (“the affections of the soul”) in each of us. Transcendentalism is very powerful in this quote, since the author encourages the reader to look beyond the physical environment “visible, audible, tangible world”, the “foul material forms”. At the very bottom of that page, the following quote “The world is nothing, the man is all” (again, understanding the “world” as a physical realm) is a very beautiful, succinct statement of what is regarded above.
Carla Alves (and I’m again very sorry for the delay)
Delete"Of course, there is a portion of reading quite indispensable to a wise man. History and exact science he must learn by laborious reading. Colleges, in like manner, have their indispensable office, - to teach elements. But they can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create; when they gather from far every ray of various genius to their hospitable halls, and, by the concentrated fires, set the hearts of their youth on flame." (p.184) Last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteEmerson's perspective on the roles of college resonates strongly with the experience of many students of today. Many students enter college with the expectation of gaining knowledge that will help their carreers and their lives. However they often find that the curriculum focuses more on the memorization of information. This all relates to the first sentence of this paragraph "laborious reading" (p.184), because the college's purpose shouldn't be to just give its students the knowledge and skills they want, but to give the "elements" and the "fire in their hearts" necessary for the students themselves to acquire the knowledge and skills they search for in a college education. As Emerson very well said, "(... they can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create;)