The American Scholar: A Rhetorical Analysis
As a result of America’s developing youth in the 21st century, it appears that the flaws in our nation’s educational institutions and structures have become increasingly evident. One must question if the foundations which Americans once attempted to build upon have been abandoned, and if so why did our nation’s education not flourish despite our initial pursuits? In 19th century America, Ralph Waldo Emerson drew the nation’s attention to our lack of creativity and innovation as a result of our dependence on other influences. Through his concerns, Emerson utilizes his transcendentalist ideals to illustrate the vitality of the relationship between a scholar, his knowledge, and human nature. In Ralph
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Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar,” Emerson addresses the potential “American scholars” within every student and attempts to persuade them to detach from external ideologies, traditions, and other influences. He convinces his audience through the use of metaphors, historical allusions, and repetition, to ultimately spark a revolution of reawakened free-thinkers and scholars to create their own ideas. In his article, Emerson utilizes metaphors in order to highlight the importance of man, not only through his part in society but also through his relationship with himself. Initially he does this through one of his simple metaphors as he states, “We all know, that as the human body can be nourished on any food, though it were boiled grass and the broth of shoes, so the human mind can be fed by any knowledge” (Emerson 473). Through the use of this figurative quotation, Emerson illustrates the relationship between human beings and knowledge while comparing food to knowledge. Here, Emerson claims that the mind similar to man’s hunger is willing to accept mundane knowledge much like any inferior meal such as “boiled grass” or “broth”. Emerson’s particular use of this metaphor creates a richness and more imaginative visual element for his audience. Ultimately, Emerson’s contrast of food and knowledge is able to be understood more adequately through the imagery created by their similarities. Through his metaphor, Emerson is able to justify his purpose by stating that though an individual’s body is satisfied, all food (in this case the all knowledge), is not always nourishing the body. More importantly, through Emerson's implementation of metaphors he is able to contrast the two varying realms in which man plays a role: the simplicity of his individuality, and the complexity of society. Man’s role in society can be seen in Emerson’s famous division of man theory where he states, "But unfortunately, this original unit, this fountain of power [which is society], has been so distributed to multitudes, has been so minutely subdivided and peddled out, that it is spilled into drops, and cannot be gathered. The state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monsters, — a good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but never a man" (Emerson 469). This quote represents one of Emerson's complex uses of extended metaphors. In comparison to his previous nourishment metaphor, this quotation highlights the importance of man within his social realm rather than him individually. Emerson’s use of a metaphor in this example is able to transition complex subjects such as an “original unit” and transform it into something more tangible and familiar, such as a fountain or a body of water. Following that metaphor is another which helps the audience imagine the separation of man’s abilities in society, Emerson portrays this through the amputation of a tree’s branches from its trunk. Emerson’s use of metaphors to prove his claim are vital because not only do they create an imagine for the audience but they also make the subjects more realistic through their comparison to something simple. As a result of Emerson's metaphors, the potential American Scholars are able to place themselves in his words through their ability to relate to simple ideas, especially those which pinpoint their basic necessities and obligations to live their lives as both individuals or as a part of the community. Through his implementation of historical allusions, Emerson draws on the importance of the past and how man’s interactions and ideas changed the environment around them in order to encourage creativity and innovation.
Emerson does this uniquely through the rejection of our history's influences and encouraging the creation of new history. This is best exemplified in the following quotation in which Emerson states, “Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon have given, forgetful that Cicero and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote these books” (Emerson, 472). Through this quotation, it is important that Emerson's audience is able to recognize his reference to these notable figures. This is because Emerson alludes to them as great influencers and also to help illustrate the importance of man and time (whether that be past, present or future). Emerson’s mention of Cicero, Locke, and Bacon, are meant to serve as exemplary knowledge that American’s were founded on (and should be aware of), most of which are external influences. This helps prove Emerson's concern for our nation’s reliance on other’s work, rather than pride in our own accomplishments. Through this allusion, Emerson’s draws on these influential figures in order to depict their own cycle of influence through “Man Thinking”. Through his audience’s ability to recognize these allusions, they can familiarize themselves with not …show more content…
only Emerson’s values but those of the men mentioned. Emerson does this in order to remind scholars that their purpose for learning should not be to merely accept other’s theories and influence but to create their own so that they too can be remembered. As the article highlights this previous idea of learning, Emerson goes on to emphasize the importance of individuality and self worth through knowledge. Here, Emerson presents his audience with some mottos, “And, in fine, the ancient precept, “Know thyself,” and the modern precept, “Study nature,” become at last one maxim” (Emerson 471). In this allusion, Emerson is able to more directly contrast the accepted maxims of past and present. This quotation holds great importance due to the prior knowledge expected from the audience referencing history. The reference to “know thyself”, draws on ancient Greek history and philosophy emphasizing the importance of “self” or individuality above of popular opinion or other influences. Emerson’s confidence that his audience will understand these references help show his selectivity for the potential American Scholars of our nation. He holds his audience at a high regard as he provides intellectual references which are meant to give more context about the issue at hand without the need of a lengthy explanation. However, those of which do not understand the references will prove to be outside his target audience and thus have have more difficulty trying to understand and adopt Emerson’s methods and ideas. Through Emerson’s use general historical allusions and these mottos he makes the claim that such ancient precept should be synonymous to the modern. As individuals within a collective society his audience should be able to distinguish themselves from a crowd through their knowledge and abilities. Lastly, one of his most vital devices is Emerson’s use of repetition to draw attention and emphasis to the importance of man’s multiplicity and unique abilities. In the article, Emerson uses repetition to help the audience distinguish the characteristics which make up the identity of the “American Scholar”, amongst them are knowledge, human nature, and a man’s place in society.This can be seen in the article as a whole through Emerson’s repetition of the word “man”. Emerson repeats the word to present a bigger concept than that of a simple “man”, but instead what he calls “Man Thinking”. The phrase can be seen throughout the article to help the audience, the modern American Scholars, understand his purpose of ridding “man” of traditional influences. Through the phrase “Man thinking”, Emerson is able create his own terminology in order to implement a new concept into the mind of his readers. Also, the repetition of the phrase helps the concept be memorable and remind his audience of his purpose. In his article, Emerson uses his mention of “Man” and “Man Thinking” to cross examine the argument of “One Man”. The phrase “One Man” is his label for the society's belief that man is a singular being with a one direct purpose. However, Emerson repeatedly denies man’s singularity by expanding on a thinker’s multiple roles in society, “Man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer, but is all. Man is priest, and scholar, and statesman, and producer, and soldier...Man is thus metamorphosed into a thing, into many things” (Emerson, 469). In this quotation Emerson utilizes parallel structure and repetition to represent the importance of man’s multiple personas and the realms in which man is a part of. Through Emerson’s repetition of the introduction, “Man is”, he focuses on his mantra of “man”. As a result, Emerson creates a rhythm which helps the audience follow this argument more easily by directly emphasizing man’s multiple abilities. Paradoxically, while repetition does create rhythim it also causes a sense of panic and urgency. Repeating the word “man” directs the audience's attention to the subject and creates an obsession giving it greater importance and concern. This helps Emerson strengthen his belief of “Man” as a vital part of human flourishing through the constant reminder that “Man is” capable of everything. Here the audience can gather Emerson’s overall purpose as he repeats terminology of “Man”, as in mankind or the scholar, and his idea of “Man Thinking”. Through the use of repetition Emerson is able to make the claim that only when man is knowledgeable and active in different roles and fields of work can he call truly be called a man. Through the article, Emerson illustrates the anatomy of a scholar as a man within the realms of education and an active social life, highlighting man as both an individual and his role within a multitude of men.
In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar”, Emerson utilizes metaphors, historical allusions, and repetition in order to persuade the future scholars in his audience to reject external influences. As a result of his convincing claims, Emerson then encourages his audience to find value in their individuality and diverse abilities. It is through Emerson’s overbearing desire for meaning that he stresses his purpose. In his article, Emerson defends his claims eloquently and his words have been proven to be still be relevant in today’s society. Having been only a couple centuries between then and now, not much has changed. Much like the audience Emerson spoke to during his time, Americans continue to be influenced, and while they have created their our own style and diverse culture as a nation there is still evidence of uniformity and very communist-like attitude. One can only hope that through the memory of work like Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar”, the nation can be persuaded once again to strive towards becoming a more creative and innovative
people. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The American Scholar.” Rpt. in First-Year Writing: Writing in the Disciplines (8th Custom Edition) TTU.Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014.(468-469). Print.
I agree with the statement Benjamin Anastas makes about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “self-reliance” of how it is “the most pernicious piece of literature in the American canon” (Anastas 602-603). One reason why I agree with Anastas is that Emerson believes the people are timid and apologetic and do not have opinions of their own. Another reason why I stand alongside Anastas is that Emerson thinks people are afraid of each other and the truth(s) that others have are but quotes from a saint or sage. My final reason that I believe Anastas is correct is due to Emerson believing our society does not gain anything new that makes life worth living.
Scientists are constantly forced to test their work and beliefs. Thus they need the ability to embrace the uncertainty that science is based on. This is a point John M. Barry uses throughout the passage to characterize scientific research, and by using rhetorical devices such as, comparison, specific diction, and contrast he is able show the way he views and characterizes scientific research.
The essay "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson implements the use of many transcendentalist ideas through the use of strong rhetorical language. The core belief of transcendentalism is self-reliance and independence, and it stresses the importance that people need to do things on their own. Emerson uses irony to point out many latent truths about the concept. He also uses personification to show that the world around someone can have qualities of a human. Metaphors are also used heavily in the essay as catalysts to help the reader better understand Transcendentalism.
As we can only imagine, one can not erase the vivid images, of the Civil War from their memories, after seeing the fallen bodies and the fields of ash and smoke. The lasting images we view through photographs reminds us of the war that divided the nation, during tumultuous times. As the war came to an end, President Abraham Lincoln was elected for his second term in office. During, Lincoln's second inaugural speech he persuades his audience, to understand that the war was a catastrophe for all. The healing that is needed from this catastrophe will not begin, until the reformation of the once standing brotherhood, in order to, maintain peace and prosperity as a nation. To help persuade the audience, Lincoln's use of rhetorical strategies, evokes the audience to consolidate as one.
Mark Twain told us in his speech on October 17, 1907 "We build a fire in a powder magazine, then double the fire department to put it out. We inflame wild beasts with the smell of blood, and then innocently wonder at the wave of brutal appetite that sweeps the land as a consequence." Twain’s word convey the fact that as society we build an environment that enrages these wild or “insane” people then we call To fix the people that we have made into a certain way……... Twain's quote both ties into gun violence and us as Americans it's our responsibility to look out for one another be each others backbones and hold each other up when times are hard.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s purpose in his article is to persuade the reader that children should not be force fed knowledge but should instead simply be taught the tool with which to learn. He emphasizes that children should be taught to be inquisitive and to seek knowledge out of enthusiasm and curiosity. One thing Emerson does that is effective is he goes chronologically through a person's lifetime for the most part. A young child and works his way to a college student and then touches on the teacher himself or a grown man.
High schools should prepare students for the world after high school by encouraging belief in transcendentalism, which will allow students to hold a strong confidence in their abilities. In high school, students find it difficult to achieve their goals, lacking the belief of potential in all individuals. Transcendental beliefs support the idea that each has undiscovered potential. Accepting this idea will allow students to venture out. As Ralph Waldo Emerson, the founder of transcendentalism believed, those who can understand themselves and live their life while maintaining the philosophy of “Trust[ing] ...
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “The American Scholar”. American Public Addresses 1740 – 1952. A. Craid Baird. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1956.
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
Literature has always been both influenced by history and influential to history. By the early nineteenth century America had already established itself as a nation and was working towards creating a new dream, one they could call their own. However, this new generation of the American people still lacked a sense of self identity. The early nineteenth century proved to be a time where people began to focus more on individualism and self. Transcendentalism became a wide spread philosophy among those searching for a sense of identity. The main concept of Transcendentalism is that enlightenment can only be found within oneself and to understand that everything is interconnected and one with nature (Phillips, William, and Stonestreet 35). While people were still trying to find enlightenment within themselves the writers during this time were determined to create new literature that was “truly native” to the new world and its new ideas (Blair, Dickstein, and Giles). Writers such as William Cullen Bryant, Nathanial Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson published works that helped define
Throughout America in the 1830's, the religious and literary philosophy of Transcendentalism flourished. This period of time is difficult to describe in a simple definition, but the general ideas are expressed through poetry, essays and books of these three talented Transcendental authors; Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Henry Thoreau. From Emerson's dramatic expressions of thinking for one’s self and not conforming, to Whitman's belief of living stress free and experiencing life, to Thoreau's explanation of the purpose of sucking the marrow out of life and constant reminder of simplicity; the writing of these free thinking authors with these ideas show the overall meaning of Transcendentalism. The lessons of the Transcendental era are expressed in the modern day movie Dead Poet's Society directed by Peter Wier. As a literature professor at Welton Academy, a preparatory school for boys, Mr. Keating has rather unorthodox methods of teaching which include interactive lessons to inspire his students to learn. Rather than a normal class of reading from books and writing essays, Mr. Keating taught life lessons which are different from your average lecture. The storyline of the film focuses on one class composed of boys who are on their 4th and final year of education at this academy. Mr. Keating is successful in teaching all the boys the ideas of Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau during his period of time as their literature teacher. This teachers class changed the boys perspective on life forever, which is more than what most high school students can say from their ed...
“Identity means who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group which make them different from others,” (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Third Edition). Every individual, group and country has their own identity which makes them different from others and it shows uniqueness of oneself. Reaction against the existing philosophy takes place when there is conflict in interest amongst the philosophers. It was from the late eighteenth century until mid nineteenth century that the philosophical and literary movement (Transcendental Movement) took place in America as a result of extreme rationalism of the enlightenment. “Transcendentalism, an idealist philosophical tendency among writers in and around Boston in the mid-19th century. Growing out of Christian Unitarianism in the 1830s under the influence of German and British Romanticism, transcendentalism affirmed Kant’s principle of intuitive knowledge not derived from the senses, while rejecting organized religion for an extremely individualistic celebration of the divinity in each human being” (Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms, p. 262). Thus, being the transcendentalists, both Emerson and Thoreau represented American Identity by influencing American to participate in the construction of American identity through their writings and actions. Therefore, this essay will compare and contrast the way in which Emerson and Thoreau represented American Identity; firstly it will argue Emerson’s influence on the American scholars to create American Identity through creation of an intellectual scholars, which was unique and free from European influence and secondly it will discuss th...
The American system of education is considered to be one of the most progressive in the world. One of the surveys on attitudes toward teaching around the world found that the United States is unique in its strong emphasis on "good teaching." My experience at State College has helped me to understand better how this system works, and what methods and techniques American teachers use to motivate their students for creative and active learning. However, I can also see that this system doesn’t work perfectly in every classroom. Reading Ernest Boyer’s article “Creativity in the Classroom” helped me with my understanding of the main problem that nowadays exists with the American college education system. According to the author, the problem is that teachers and students don’t see each other as one team doing the same business; therefore, in most classrooms the process of learning becomes a boring procedure instead of being mind-blowing. Moreover, reading this article, I could analyze the reasons of this problem that the author identifies through my own experiences at State College.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston in 1803. He was a son of Unitarian minister and the descendant of New England clergymen. This led him to become a minister himself and later quit to focus on his philosophy called transcendentalism. Emerson started writing in his youth and later attended Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard in 1821 he taught in a women school. The book of Anthology of American Literature says, “Like his philosophy, his writing seemed to lack organization, but it swarmed with epigrams and memorable passages” (939). Even though Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works had flaws, he “was nineteenth-century America’s most notable essayist” (Anthology of American Literature 938). According to Daniel G. Payne Emerson’s point
Mr. Keating, the new English teacher at Welton Academy, is the epitome of transcendentalist values. He devoutly embraces the idea of nonconformity, a key aspect of transcendentalism. At the start of the first English class, he instructs his students to tear out the introductory portion of their textbook because he disagrees with the content. This captures the attention of his student immediately differentiating him from the other professors at Welton and their orthodox teaching styles. Emerson, a famous poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century, said, “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist.... Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Further emphasizing the importance of individuality, Mr. Keating takes his student out to the courtyard and asks them to walk in their own exclusive speed and style, independent of how everyone else is walking. When inquired by Mr. Nolan, the Headmaster at Welton, as to what exactly he was doing, Mr. Keating replies that he w...