Critical Analysis of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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As human beings we take everything for granted. We think not of the struggle that nature endures to blossom into something that we can find divine. Nor do we think about the hours and passion that a writer may have put into that piece of literature we pick up and read. We are expectant creatures who complain when it’s too hot outside, not even thinking that, that warmth is keeping us alive, or we get mad when it rains too much, not appreciating it for keeping nature flourishing. Ralph Waldo Emerson talks of humans’ disdain for nature and how detached we have become in his piece “Nature.” We’ll take a look at Emerson’s opinion on the lack of compassion and awe that mankind has for the world around them.
Nature was not uncommon to be a theme that Emerson leaned on ever so frequently. This was not because he was a “man’s, man” living in the woods, off of the land or anything; but because he believed that by being in touch with nature, you were also closer to God. In the beginning of “Nature,” Emerson writes “I am not solitary whilst I read and write, though nobody is with me (Emerson).” Now, upon first read anyone would assume that he is not alone because he has the characters in his reading/writing to accompany him. However, being that Emerson so passionately believed in the continual presence of God, I believe this is to whom he is referring. As a Transcendentalist, Emerson believed “God was not remote and unknowable; believers understood God and themselves by looking into their own souls and by feeling their own connection to nature ("Ralph Waldo Emerson biography").”
This sets the mood for the reader throughout the rest of the work for the appreciation that Emerson has for the world around him. He talks of stars as a something t...

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...elationship between man and God. No matter what we do, God is forgiving and will always be there. We can turn our backs on him, or think we know best but his love is a never ending, undying love.

Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph. "Nature." emersoncentral. N.p., 03 Oct 2009. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .
"Ralph Waldo Emerson biography." biography. A E Television Networks, LLC., n.d. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .
"Industrialization and the Environment." fubini.swarthmore. Swarthmore College Environmental Studies, 03 Feb 2003. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .
Wilson, Eric. " American Transcendentalism Web."transcendentalism-legacy. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .

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