Monday, September 27, 2010
Pre-disscusion question for "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
By reading Emerson's biography you should have noticed that death played an important part in his life. His father, first wife, and son all died before their time. "I shun father and mother and wife and brother when my genius call me" (440) says Emerson of family and throughout the essay he questions aspects of religion and God. How do unfortunate things from Emerson's past effect his ideas of being an individual? If they do at all. When answering that question consider the following, did his father dying at an early age make him believe family isn't necessary for the individual? Did his son dying at the age of five make him question following God and joining those who believe? Examine the text to come to a decision on whether Emerson naturally thinks this way or if his past created his mindset.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Connor, that is a very interesting idea. So often we read works but fail to question why they were written and what caused them to be written. In the case of Emerson, I think both the past of his surroundings and his own personal past affected his writing.
ReplyDeleteIf all one knows is self-sufficiency, he is bound to think that is the best way of life. Having lost his father when he was only 8-years-old, Emerson had to grow up without that father figure, and thus he himself strove to be his own ideal.
I think that approach relates to Emerson's view of religion, too-- that spirituality exists within, as opposed to in some supernatural being. Just as Emerson tried to fill the gap left by his father, he did with his doubts regarding God. He became his father and his God.
As you said, his father was not his only lost loved one. His mother, wife and brother followed. Emerson's only way to cope was by directing his energies inward. Thus Emerson found that he could only rely on himself, as even his most beloved betrayed him in their abandonment.
While the above accusations are completely without textual support, I believe them to be plausible and the cause for Emerson's words: "trust thyself" (438), because who else can you trust?
I did not consider Emerson's tragic past to be influential in the creation of transcendentalism. The philosophy seems more to stem from America's need to break away from European ideas. Emerson proposes a life style to solve the problem of European dependency, one in which each man is only concerned with what "he must do" and "in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude" (440). By praising the individual and individual thought, Emerson achieves the goal of establishing intellectual independence from Europe. If every man "believes [his] own thought" and follows only "what is true for [him] is [his] private heart", than independence is inevitable (437).
ReplyDeleteHowever, this independence does not warrant anti-social behavior; it only suggests that isolation is superior. So when Emerson states that he would "shun his father and mother and wife and brother, when [his] genius calls [him]" he is making the point that his intellectual life is more important than his social life (440). Emerson is not saying that family isn't necessary, but that family isn't as important as the scholarly aspects of life. If the needs of others always came before individual needs, man would be dependent upon others. And Emerson argues that "it is only as a man puts off from himself all external support, and stands alone" that he becomes "strong and prevails" (453).
Carolyn, you make a very intriguing point on the similarity between Emerson's relationship with his father and god. But the death of his father doesn't seem to be the most important one when talking bout his views on religion. "She [Emerson's first wife] died sixteen months later... early in 1832 Emerson notified his church that he had become so skeptical of the validity of the Lord's Supper that he could no longer administer it" (380). So immediately following the death of his first wife Emerson's views on religion mold into the ones he wrote about. After her death he also traveled to Europe by himself, so not only did her death make him question religion but it pushed him into a state of solidarity for a brief period, which as we know he wrote about at length.
ReplyDeleteTo stem off one of your original questions about lack of necessity of the family, I think it is important to note a passage on page 447, which I was actually looking at to respond to Michael. "Why should we assume the faults of our friend, or wife, or father, or child, because they sit around our hearth, or are said to have the same blood? All men have my blood, and I have all men's." Here it seems Emerson is cutting his ties, his emotional attachments, perhaps to prevent further loss or maybe to strip himself of what is not purely him, the individual.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really interesting passage that you just brought up Carolyn. I think it somewhat relates to the question we asked ourselves in class today: do individuals have to remove themselves from society in order to examine it? I think that the way in which Emerson approaches the deaths of his family members is surprisingly similar to the way in which writers approach writing.
ReplyDeleteStemming off the quote that Mike brought up: "shun his father and mother and wife and brother, when [his] genius calls [him]" he is making the point that his intellectual life is more important than his social life (440), it is evident that Emerson would intentionally remove himself from his life with his family in order to write. When his wife died shortly after their marriage, Emerson declares that he is skeptical of the church and after he resigned from it, he, "embarked on a leisurely European tour which constituted a postgraduate education in art and natural science"(380). Right after the death of his wife, Emerson feels as if he needs to escape this life and his emotions and get away, where in which he can approach those feelings from an outside perspective.
When looking at Emerson's past and earlier literary years, his later views on life can be more clearly understood. In the beginning of his literary career, Emerson was "satirized...in The Confidence-Man as a great American philisophical con man" (379). In addition, "Emerson showed no remarkable literary promise either in his early prose exercises or in his adolescent satires" (380). Growing up deeply rooted in Christianity and without a father figure, feeling lost is highly possible. The death of his first wife, however, created a crisis for Emerson, where "he had become so skeptical of the validity of the Lord's Supper that he could no longer administer it" (380). Emerson's escape on a European tour and quest to further his education acted as a fresh start-for evidently his past was not working out well. Death acted as an isolation tool,for as the years went on, Emerson slipped deeper into a scholarly mindset, suggesting that family and friends be removed from life in order for the mind's passions to fully flourish. With nearly each death in Emerson's life, his focus geared more towards his work, for without those who he loved most, work was almost all Emerson had.
ReplyDeleteAfter facing so much loss, it becomes natural for Emerson to literally have self-reliance; everyone he loved is gone, and Emerson as a result seems to break as well. He says, "The relations of the soul to the divine spirit are so pure that it is profane to seek to interpose helps" (445). Emerson has such a strong belief in a divine spirit, such a trust and hope that it will guide him through struggle; however, now that this divine spirit is causing the struggle, the situation differs. With the loss of loved ones, Emerson can no longer rely on others, and begins to lose faith in God: how could something that seemed so perfect cause the destruction of love?
ReplyDeleteI really liked the passage Carolyn brought up, and especially the quote, "All men have my blood, and I have all men's" (447). Like Carolyn said, it seems as though Emerson is removing his emotional ties from family specifically. If he shares the blood of all men, therefore being related to everyone, he cannot face the sorrow in life lost so heavily; he would face loss every day. He would not know how much loss he was facing (it, of course, is impossible to know everyone), and therefore he would never feel the pain of loss so close to him. Emerson places an emotional disconnect on himself, a determination not to allow death to impact his work for the worse. Perhaps his views of God begin to disconnect as well; it seems only natural to question the existence of God when you see loved ones pass away so early in life. He "had become so skeptical of the validity of the Lord's Supper that he could no longer administer it" (380), which reflects Emerson's loss of hope in God; if God had the power to take away those he loved, what else could he take away from Emerson? How can Emerson be prepared for what is yet the worst to come?
I agree with Celi in that by escaping and going on his European tour, Emerson leaves his pain behind him and gains the opportunity to see the world from an outside perspective; perhaps that is the only way he can find resolution and move on. He immerses himself in his work, because that is all he can rely on; he fears that by loving another human, they will be taken from him once more.
Emerson's first wife died sixteen months after his ordination as minister of "tuberculosis, the disease which had already infected Emerson and others in his family" (380). This sudden and unexpected death did not, however, push him to ruin. Not long thereafter, Emerson left the church to pursue further education. His wife's death provided the catalyst to becoming a fully fledged poet, and later the installments of wealth he received from her provided him the means to live comfortably and pursue writing as a career. This death pushed Emerson towards the career of writing.
ReplyDeleteAfter the death of his son "at the age of five" in 1842 (382), Emerson delves deeper into his writing. The loss that he experiences in his life seems to spur him on, pushing him towards creativity. After Waldo died, "Emerson devoted himself more and more to the personal problems of his circle of family and friends" (382). None of these deaths destroyed Emerson, they in fact brought him closer to the literary world. Soon, people found that "the deferential minister and once-tentative lecturer had become a confident American prophet" (382).
Megan's point that Emerson was previously a man with "no remarkable literary promise either in his early prose exercises or in his adolescent satires" (380). The deaths in his family provided him with tension, with a reason to write something other than what he was satirized for (being an "American philisophical con man" (379)). Later on, Emerson begins to remove himself even further from the living, and shuns "father and mother and wife and brother, when my genius calls me" (440). Emerson's creativity and writing is based in his removal from those he loves; first by death and then by choice. His isolation provides a needed catalyst for his progression as a writer.
Now that it seems like a few people think tragic events in Emerson's life shaped the way he perceived how humans should think. Discuss how self-reliant he had to become makes his philosophy in some ways un-realistic to those who haven't experienced death in the same way and have always had the support of others. Does Emerson's philosophy only work for himself and others that share a life style of solitude?
ReplyDeleteReligion in the common idea was not important to Emerson. He had dealt with many deaths and disheartening circumstances which made him stray away from the religion he at first was a big part of. “Early in 1832 Emerson notified his church that he had become so skeptical of the validity of the Lord’s Supper that he could no longer administer it” (380). The Lord’s Supper is a biblical reference of the church. Christians believe that it did happen, but like Adam and Eve it is only a metaphor for what happened. Because Emerson became “skeptical of the validity” of his religion, does not necessarily mean he does not still believe in it. He still has spirituality which is like having a religion, but without the stories to explain it. Emerson was able to believe what he wanted as an individual. "Believe in your own though, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men" (437). He is able to believe in himself and by doing that he becomes spiritual. This does make his writing unrealistic to those who haven’t experienced what he’s gone through. The readers aren’t able to relate unless they have been through something that makes them question their faith, and therefore the idea of solitude is also unrealistic for them.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping someone would touch upon the relationship of death in Emerson's life and his questioning of relgion from then on!
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't Emerson question religion and feel an absence of God when he had to suffer the losses of his father, wife, and son? He had no choice but to become self-reliant because God obviously wasn't doing it for him. Emerson came to the resolution that "he must take himself for better, or worse" (438). This quote is interesting because it parallels marriage vows, a unity binded by God and yet Emerson himself was breaking this unity by insinuating that God no longer was crucial in his life; that he himself could decide the person he wanted to be.
He didn't complete neglect the "divine Providence" that were instilled in Emerson's early years (438). He just seemed to hope that if death, such as the deaths he experienced, were to be prevelent than a person must not just trust in God, but more trust in themselves that life would continue to be good. Emerson was forced to turn his trust slightly away from God so he could trust himself that although misery was very prevelent, he would continue to be a great man.
I agree with Claire and I think that a lot of his thoughts on self reliance was shaped by his doubts about God.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that his essay is not solely focused on his own problems with with the power of God and the doubts that he may have towards God. I think that the essay really tries to encourage individuals to be able to rely on their own power so they can actually have the ability to achieve their needs, and not remain stagnant, relying and hoping on a higher power to grant one's wish. Emerson says "Speak your latent convictions and it shall be the universal sense" in his opening lines to emphasize that individuals should rely on themselves and not leave themselves to the whims of a higher power (437). Emerson also describes independence as "godlike" suggesting that being able to be independent is similar to be granted a divine power much that of God (439).
In this way, I think that the overall idea of religion and God is not as important to Emerson because he does not believe God is reliable. He has seen this through the death of various family members. This made independence and self reliance more appealing to Emerson because he knows the one thing he can rely on always is himself. So for Emerson, independence is "godlike" because it gives him the freedom to carry out actions that he knows will happen. As Emerson says, "self trust is our consistency", unlike God and religion which did nothing to save his family from death (441). Thus to him, the idea of self-reliance is much more preferred over Religion, which to some degree, is the ultimate form of reliance on others.
This is interesting Connor because it gives us cause to question the validity of the argument. Though we have agreed that there is no single definition for the American literary tradition, self-reliance seems to be an often touched-upon theme. American literature that focuses on the western frontier has aspects of self-reliance, think Little House on the Prarrie. However, American immigrants and pioneers can be viewed as biased like Emerson. To create a better life for themselves they were forced into self-reliance.
ReplyDeleteEmerson's argument is valid. He combines seemingly contradictory ideas of individuals unified by higher thinking and spirituality. Emerson says "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself"(454). However, those who have people to rely on probably are naturally inclined to think otherwise. Emerson's idea that "society is chosen for us" also applies to his beliefs, that may or may not have been formed by his past (445).