Monday, November 06, 2006
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Katja
ENGL 48A
Journal #9, Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 November, 2006
"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers." (1106)
In this quote from the very beginning of Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson establishes his perception of the age he lives in; an era rife with the history of times gone by that honors the memory and achievements of his predecessors, yet lacking in forward perspective. Later on he calls for his fellow-human beings to set their own standards and to look into the future: "why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition" (1107). His desire was for renewal and rebirth in American thought.
While Emerson seemed to want to escape the influence of others’ accomplishments, he still remained tied to the past by his religious faith. Indeed, Emerson did reference many of his contemporaries but his work is equally as colored by references to the Bible. As evidenced by the word choices above—sepulchres and fathers—Emerson held a strong faith. A sepulchre is a grave or burial vault, which immediately calls to mind Jesus being buried in the cave. The whole sentence above becomes a problem because Emerson himself is perpetuating what he wanted to avoid: the constant allusion to the past. One must assume, given Emerson’s keen intellect, that the quote above is intentionally crafted to provoke the reader’s thoughts.
Surprising, also, is the gender exclusivity of Emerson’s statement. For such a radical guy, who is friends with women, it seems rather odd to not include the sepulchres of the mothers. He may want us to think outside the box. By excluding the mothers from history building, where are they included? Because Emerson refers to nature as "her" and "she" in a few places (1128), he may have been influenced by the nature as goddess archetype seen in very early literature, such as Beowulf.
Emerson had a rather indirect way of conveying his message, unlike his peer and friend Margaret Fuller, whom, at the end of her 1843 work The Great Lawsuit, states "And will not she soon appear? The woman who shall vindicate the birthright for all women" (1654). The two authors are essentially saying the same thing, calling for the same action, however Fuller immediately directs the reader where to go.
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quite limited and finite opinion of how his contemporaries viewed the world, however upon closer investigation he may have fallen into that trap himself. His thoughts and ideas were grand but hard, even for himself, to actuate.
ENGL 48A
Journal #9, Ralph Waldo Emerson
6 November, 2006
"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers." (1106)
In this quote from the very beginning of Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson establishes his perception of the age he lives in; an era rife with the history of times gone by that honors the memory and achievements of his predecessors, yet lacking in forward perspective. Later on he calls for his fellow-human beings to set their own standards and to look into the future: "why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition" (1107). His desire was for renewal and rebirth in American thought.
While Emerson seemed to want to escape the influence of others’ accomplishments, he still remained tied to the past by his religious faith. Indeed, Emerson did reference many of his contemporaries but his work is equally as colored by references to the Bible. As evidenced by the word choices above—sepulchres and fathers—Emerson held a strong faith. A sepulchre is a grave or burial vault, which immediately calls to mind Jesus being buried in the cave. The whole sentence above becomes a problem because Emerson himself is perpetuating what he wanted to avoid: the constant allusion to the past. One must assume, given Emerson’s keen intellect, that the quote above is intentionally crafted to provoke the reader’s thoughts.
Surprising, also, is the gender exclusivity of Emerson’s statement. For such a radical guy, who is friends with women, it seems rather odd to not include the sepulchres of the mothers. He may want us to think outside the box. By excluding the mothers from history building, where are they included? Because Emerson refers to nature as "her" and "she" in a few places (1128), he may have been influenced by the nature as goddess archetype seen in very early literature, such as Beowulf.
Emerson had a rather indirect way of conveying his message, unlike his peer and friend Margaret Fuller, whom, at the end of her 1843 work The Great Lawsuit, states "And will not she soon appear? The woman who shall vindicate the birthright for all women" (1654). The two authors are essentially saying the same thing, calling for the same action, however Fuller immediately directs the reader where to go.
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quite limited and finite opinion of how his contemporaries viewed the world, however upon closer investigation he may have fallen into that trap himself. His thoughts and ideas were grand but hard, even for himself, to actuate.
# posted by Katja @ 1:51 PM 
