English: Emerson’s Essays
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the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilizations
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Nature
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most people can only see nature through the eyes of the past, and nature is there for all to enjoy
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What criticism is Emerson making in the first five sentences?
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cultural nationalism and individualism
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This passage is an expression of (2)
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He describes nature as a work of art, a connection to God It can heal people It's beautiful and immortal. It helps you find yourself. And everyone needs it in their lives
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How would you describe Emerson's attitude toward the natural world?
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He implies people can know or do whatever they want with nature, but there's a limit to how much we can do or know
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In what way might his attitude be one-sided or unrealistic
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the at of depending on oneself
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Self-Reliance
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If you envy someone, that means you're not appreciating your own specialness. If you're imitating somebody, you might as well not be your own person and might as well not be there and living
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Why does Emerson associate envy with ignorance, and imitation with suicide
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When he puts his hearts into his work and does his best
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According the Emerson, what makes a human being the happiest?
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When he doesn't
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What makes them the saddest?
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Yourself, accept the place the divine providence has found for you. Accept nature and who you are
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Whom should you trust? What should you accept?
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Transcendent destiny (embrace yourself and don't be afraid)
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What does Emerson believe that human beings must accept in order to achieve their potential and participate in the universe with joy?
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It forces them to conform, prevents free thinking, and takes away personalities of people in it
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According to Emerson, the greatest obstacle to self-trust is clearly "society". In what ways does society oppose the freedom and development of the individual
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To be great is to be misunderstood. It means that if you think outside the box, you are great
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What famous aphorism or saying is found in paragraph 7 and what does the aphorism mean?
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All famous philosophers were misunderstood
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What evidence does the speaker offer to suggest that being misunderstood is not bad
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Involuntary wisdom is intuition, knowledge that you know is right. It can't be taught. Ordinary knowledge is gained by learning. It is called tuition
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Intuitions come to us through "spontaneity or instinct". What distinction is Emerson making between this "voluntary" wisdom and the knowledge we acquire in the ordinary ways
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being trustworthy, someone hat you know and like to be in contact with
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Friendship
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You can't hide anything from yourself
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What does Emerson mean when he says that "Every man alone is sincere"
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We're afraid to be judged if we tell the truth
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Why is sincerity so difficult in social relationships according to Emerson?
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You have to be clever to deceive someone and make the believe you're this person you're not
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What does Emerson mean when he says ingenuity is "cleverness or inventiveness". What is he insinuating?
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The apprehension of an object, a thought, or an emotion through the senses or the mind
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Experience
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People aren't trying to make utopian societies anymore, but they are still trying to change the way people live. We still waste the present to plan for the future. People are still trying to make our experiences "perfect" instead of embracing the moment
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Have times changed since Emerson's day?
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Intellectual tasting of life: thinking about doing something, living someone else's experience Muscular activity: actually doing something Emerson wants people to actually do things instead of thinking and planning to do things
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What does Emerson mean by "intellectual tasting of life" and "muscular activity"
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He says that people are searching for theoretical wisdom instead of practical wisdom. They need to experience things to gain true wisdom. The only way to gain wisdom is to experience things. Wisdom by learning without experience opposes it.
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In this passage, what is "practical wisdom" and what opposes it
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The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events
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Fate
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We have the power to overcome fate, so there is more than natural history. In nature, God acts through us. In fate, our free will overpowers
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There are specific details suggesting a very different vision of nature from that presented in Nature. What are the new ideas of the natural world?
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Free will is power. This power gives us the freedom to think for ourselves and freedom of choice, but fate still effects us.
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The passage from "Fate" argues that human beings are not completely bound, or limited, by Fate In what sense does thinking make us "free" even as we are still subject to Fate
