What is the theme of The American Scholar?
The central theme of both “The American Scholar” and his larger body of work was that every thinking individual possessed within themselves all of the tools necessary to comprehend the divine interconnectedness of all things. Intuition and introspection will guide people to greater understanding.
How does Emerson define genius in this essay?
In “The Poet” Emerson defines genius as “the activity which repairs the decays of things, whether wholly or partly of a material and finite kind” (190). This definition suggests genius acting as a way to rework previous ideas until they are more functional to society or to a person on their own.
Who is an American scholar According to Emerson?
Emerson specifically believes that it is the American Scholar who will bring about a revolution that unites the country. He asserts that the country has “listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe” and that the result is the rest of the world sees Americans as “timid, imitative, tame.”
What themes did Ralph Waldo Emerson write about?
“Self-Reliance” is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson’s recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instincts and ideas.
What distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood cutter from the tree of the poet?
Quote 2: “When we speak of nature in this manner, we have a distinct but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean the integrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood-cutter, from the tree of the poet.”
What does Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit mean?
Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. We mean the integrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood-cutter, from the tree of the poet.
What are the main duties of the American Scholar?
The scholar’s first and most important duty is to develop unflinching self-trust and a mind that will be a repository of wisdom for other people. This is a difficult task, Emerson says, because the scholar must endure poverty, hardship, tedium, solitude, and other privations while following the path of knowledge.