Nature Emerson Rhetorical Analysis

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Connect with It Writer, poet and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson in the essay “Nature" acknowledges the foundation of Transcendentalism and the admiration for during the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Emerson’s purpose is to describe a real transcendental experience and to spread the idea of becoming one with one’s surroundings. Emerson’s tone is calm, lyrical, throughout “Nature” allows him to expose the relationship between humans and nature at its fullest. Emerson begins his essay by addressing solitude and the significance of the stars and men. “But if a man would be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and vulgar things” (182). Nature serves as a protective barrier between humans and the defective things in society. Emerson makes an emphasis as he is truly trying to have his audience appreciate nature also providing the example that “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore;and preserve for many …show more content…

“Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man exort all her secrets, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection”(182). Emerson uses personification to allow the reader to feel more related to the topic, he also uses this to build a connection and a relationship between the two by giving nature a quality that applies to humans. “To speak truly,” Emerson says, “few adults can see nature”(182). Since Emerson believes children truly have an advantage over adults when experiencing nature directly, he builds a comparison between adults and children, by doing this he allows the reader to acknowledge the fact that as one grows, the innocence, curiosity, and imagination is lost. This could have an effect on the reader’s perspective and help build that curiosity in them once

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