Ralph Waldo Emerson
who was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston was known as, "the leading member of the group of New England idealists known as the transcendentalists." [Benet- 17] His father, editor of the "Monthly Anthology" - a review of literature, and pastor at the Unitarian Church in Boston, died in 1811, when Ralph Waldo was only eight. With a scholarship to Harvard, Emerson entered in 1817. Not a outstanding student, Emerson graduated thirteenth out of 59 students in 1821, and was elected class poet. After his graduation, he taught, even though he was suffering from symtoms of tuberculosis. Many generations of the Emerson family were ministers, so Ralph Waldo knew in the beginning that he was to become ...
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became a preacher, but it didn't last long. His chest was weak and he had to give it up. His travels to Europe led him to meet many men, even though he was very sick. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and Thomas Carlyle were among the few. Carlyle stayed his friend throughout his whole life. Nature as a metaphor or image of the human mind was the topic of his lecture, "The uses of Natural History" after he got back from Europe. His attempt being to, "humanize science." [Grolier pg.304] His later marriage to Lydia Jackson lasted the rest of his life. They lived in Concord, Massachussetts. Lydia was forced by Ralph Waldo to change her name to Lydian. His reasoning for this was because of New Englander's habit of pronouncing things that ended with 'a', with an 'r' sound at the end. Their house guested many writers and conversationalists, including Henry David Thoreau. 1836 brought his first novel, "Nature." Even though a small 500 copies were published, not all of them were ...
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The eyes of man are set in his forehead, not in his hindhead."... "Build your own world." [Thomas- 352] Nobility of the commonplace- ... "the world exists for you." [Thomas- 253] Asserting oneself- "All that Adam had, and Ceasar could, you have and can do." ... "There are no bounds to the possibilities of man." [Thomas- 253] Be of good cheer!- "This world belongs to the cheerful, the energetic and daring." [Thomas- 253] Friendship. The life of man is a search for friendship. It is not just a passion, but an action in our souls. "The Alps and the Andes come and go as rainbows." [Thomas- 255] Peaceful Pioneers was Emerson's philosophical dream. A world with no wars, friends who were ...
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Ralph Waldo Emerson. (2008, August 6). Retrieved April 24, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson/87918
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 6 Aug. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson/87918>
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." Essayworld.com. August 6, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson/87918.
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." Essayworld.com. August 6, 2008. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ralph-Waldo-Emerson/87918.
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