The American Scholar
English 102
2-12-2014
The American Scholar
Ralph Waldo Emerson was well known for a speech called the “The American Scholar” that he delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa society in 1837. Emerson was a productive and unique thinker of his time. He originally trained to become a minister of a Christian value that emphasizes freedom and tolerance in religious belief. Writing and public speaking turned into a well-known career for Emerson instead of becoming a minister. Emerson’s main idea for his speech was to argue for a new and direct form of educational learning for the American population. The American culture was still heavily influenced by the past. Emerson’s speech was possibly the first time in the country's history to provide a visionary idealistic framework for escaping from what he called “under its iron lids" by building a new American cultural identity. Emerson believes that the incoming generations should be influenced by nature, the past, and action. In “The American Scholar” Emerson gives an ideal of how a true scholar should be educated and what the duties of the scholar should be instead of being a “mere thinker”. Emerson doesn’t like that man is defined by his actions instead of his ideal state. For example, a mechanic is labeled as the machine he works with instead of being the individual that runs the machine, causing him to become a victim of society.
Emerson discusses three kinds of influences on the education of the thinking man: nature, books, and action. Emerson’s primary importance is about learning nature. “Nature corresponds to one’s mind, so it should be studied for the enhancement of the understanding of the self.” He argues that a close relationship between the soul and nature is this, “One is seal, and one is print.” Emerson is talking about how one man’s soul should be discovered and learned instead of being like the next man in line.
The second influence is the mind of the past, which can be seen in books. To achieve a
2-12-2014
The American Scholar
Ralph Waldo Emerson was well known for a speech called the “The American Scholar” that he delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa society in 1837. Emerson was a productive and unique thinker of his time. He originally trained to become a minister of a Christian value that emphasizes freedom and tolerance in religious belief. Writing and public speaking turned into a well-known career for Emerson instead of becoming a minister. Emerson’s main idea for his speech was to argue for a new and direct form of educational learning for the American population. The American culture was still heavily influenced by the past. Emerson’s speech was possibly the first time in the country's history to provide a visionary idealistic framework for escaping from what he called “under its iron lids" by building a new American cultural identity. Emerson believes that the incoming generations should be influenced by nature, the past, and action. In “The American Scholar” Emerson gives an ideal of how a true scholar should be educated and what the duties of the scholar should be instead of being a “mere thinker”. Emerson doesn’t like that man is defined by his actions instead of his ideal state. For example, a mechanic is labeled as the machine he works with instead of being the individual that runs the machine, causing him to become a victim of society.
Emerson discusses three kinds of influences on the education of the thinking man: nature, books, and action. Emerson’s primary importance is about learning nature. “Nature corresponds to one’s mind, so it should be studied for the enhancement of the understanding of the self.” He argues that a close relationship between the soul and nature is this, “One is seal, and one is print.” Emerson is talking about how one man’s soul should be discovered and learned instead of being like the next man in line.
The second influence is the mind of the past, which can be seen in books. To achieve a