Transcendentalism In Emerson's Nature By Henry David Thoreau

1359 Words6 Pages

Emerson, while endorsing a similar type of philosophy of nature, seems more stringent in his ideas of nature and less stringent in his actual communion with nature. Of course, this could be false. It might be his writing style and authoritative tone that seem to preach more than practice. Emerson gives few personal examples, so readers really don't know if he lives in the way that he suggests readers or listeners live. Emerson seems to focus a great deal on the ties between nature and the spirit. He tells readers what the connections are. Thoreau, on the other hand, often shows us the connections, but leaves it up to us to make them in our own minds. Now I’m going to give you details about “Nature” essay in order to get much more familiar with the terms used in it . …show more content…

It is divided into 8 parts. 1. Nature: it is an experience of solitude. He first notes that when one wants to be alone, one can look at the stars because they inspire a feeling of respect, because they remain inaccessible. He adds: "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown!" All the objects in nature entail such an impression of wisdom, happiness and simplicity. Emerson insists on the importance of this link between man and nature. He says: "His intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows." This power of ecstasy is not due only to nature, but to the human, to the harmony between the two. In fact, on contact with nature, we become an integral part of God. Finally, Emerson adds that we have to use the pleasure of nature with some moderation because "Nature always wears the colors of the