FREE ESSAY ON RALPH WALDO EMERSON

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Introduction
Ralph Waldo Emerson "...was truly one of our great geniuses" even though he may have a
short biography (Hodgins 212). But as Emerson once said himself, "Great geniuses have the
shortest biographies." Emerson was also a major leader of "the philosophical movement of
Transcendentalism". (Encarta 1) Transcendentalism was belief in a higher reality than
that found everyday life that a human can achieve.
Biographical Information
Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father died when he was
young and his mother was left with him and his four other siblings. At the age of 18 he
graduated from Harvard University and was a teacher for three years in Boston. Then in
1825 he entered Harvard Divinity School and preached for three years. At the age of 29 he
resigned for ministry, partly because of the death of his wife after only 17 months of
marriage.
In 1835 he married Lydia Jackson and started to lecture. Then in 1836, he helped to start
the Transcendental Club. The Transcendental Club was formed for authors that were part of
this historical movement. Emerson was a big part of this and practically initiated the
entire club. As we know he was already a major part of the movement and know got himself
involved more. Many people and ways of life throughout his career including Neoplatonism,
the Hindu religion, Plato and even his wife influenced Emerson. He also inspired many
Transcendentalists like Thoreau. Emerson didn't win any major awards, but he did win the
love and appreciation of his readers.
Literary Information
Emerson wrote many genres of writing including poetry and sermons, but his best writing
is found in his essays. Even though he is noted for his essays, he was also a strong
force in poetry. Emerson was known for presenting ideas in an expressive style. He wrote
about numerous issues including nature, society, conspiracy and freedom. After returning
to America after a visit to England, he wrote for the abolitionist cause, which was
eliminating slavery.
Emerson used these ideas in his 1837 lecture "The American Scholar," which he presented
before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard. In it he talked about Americans becoming
more intelligently independent. In a second address, commonly referred to as the "Address
at Divinity College," given in 1838 to the graduating class of Cambridge Divinity
College, brought about a problem because it attacked religion and pushed independence.
Some of Emerson's famous titles are "Essays", which was published in 1844, Poems, which
was published in 1847, "Nature: Addresses and Lectures", 1849, and "Representative Men",
1850. In 1860, he published "Conduct of Life", which was the first of his works to
receive immediate popularity. In these works you were able to see the influence Plato and
Neoplatonism had of him. "Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher. He developed the notion
of a higher reality that exists beyond the powers of human comprehension. Plato explained
that the idea of absolute goodness transcends human description. Neoplantonism was a
collective designation for the philosophical and religious doctrines of a heterogeneous
school of speculative thinkers who sought to develop and synthesize the metaphysical
ideas of Plato" (Encarta).
Ralph Waldo Emerson found motivation to write in anything he did, whether it was visiting
England, the Transcendental Movement or if it was abolishing slavery. He didn't receive
much fame during his lifetime, but after he passed away in1882, he was remembered for all
of his writing, not just one good essay. "Emerson was the most important figure during
the Romantic Period" (Myerson 3). He left his mark on writing, especially the Romantic
Period.
Bibliography
"Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Microsoft Encarta. CD-ROM. 1998 ed.
"Emerson, Ralph Waldo." Lkd. Columbia University Homepage, at "ILT Web."
*http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/acedemic/digitexts/emerson/bio_emerson.html *
Hodgins, Francis. ed. Adventures in American Literature. Orlando: Harcourt, 1989.
Myerson, Joel. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Grolier Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. 1993 ed.