GOOD MORNING

AMERICAN SCHOLAR

LIFE AND WORKS OF EMERSON

LIFE OF EMERSONEmerson was born in 1803 in Boston, on May

25th.He entered Harvard college in 1817 at the age

of 14.He was graduated in 1821.

Emerson married Lydian Jackson of Plymouth.He settled down to a happy life that

developed into a great career.He was an effective public speaker and was

generally recognized as master of the art of oratory.

WORKS OF EMERSONIn 1836,he published his first book NATURE.

In 1841,ESSAYS-first series appeared.

In 1843, ESSAYS-second series was written.

POPULAR POEMS OF EMERSON

The SpinnerThe RhodoraThe VisitThe Snow-StormGraceGive all to loveTerminus and so on….

INTELLECTUAL DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

America was declared independent from England in 1776.

After 60 years i.e, 1837,once again America was declared as intellectually independent.

Emerson was invited by PHI BETA KAPPA, a literary society, at Harvard university to deliver a speech.

Emerson published his speech in London in 1844 as “Man Thinking:An Oration”.

It is “the Declaration of Independence” in American letters.

Elements of Transcendentalism, Democracy and Dignity of Labor are elevated in the speech.

Emerson addresses Mr. President and Gentlemen at the beginning of the literary year.

“Our anniversary is one of hope, and perhaps, not enough of labor”.

“The old fable says there is one man, present to all particular men only partially or through one faculty and that you must take the whole society to find the whole man”.

Unfortunately, the one man has been so minutely subdivided that it “is spilled into drops and cannot be gathered”.

The society has gone into such a state where each man is cut off from the rest.

All things exist for the benefit of such a scholar and the true scholar is the only true master of all things.

But the scholar often goes wrong, fails to understand his real nature, and so forfeits his privileges as the true master of all things.

Emerson notes three areas in which Americans can make intellect in their own-

NATUREBOOKSACTION

NATURE

NATURE Everyday the sunrise, sunset, night stars, appear. The wind

blows, men’s activities go on. “The scholar is he of all men whom this spectacle most

engages”. he must settle its value in his mind. What is nature to him?

“there is never a beginning, there is never an end, to the inexplicable continuity of this web of god, but always circular power returning into itself.

Slowly, the mind finds how to join two things and see in them on nature; then three; then a thousand, so the mind goes on tying things together just like a flower out from one stem.

so, it is suggested that he and nature proceed from one root; one is leaf and one is flower.

And what is that root? It is the soul of his soul.He must learn to worship the soul which is a part of

the all pervading nature.Therefore, he must follow the ancient percept “know

thyself” and the modern percept, “study nature”. Both these at last become one maxim.

According to Emerson, Nature is Everlasting,Inexplicable,Inscruitable and Mysterious.

When observing the basics of nature,we classify certain elements as either beautiful and note worthy or booring and monotonous.

By Independently declaring these classifications, we become one with nature.

Through Individualized thought we have the power to shape our interpretation of nature and therefore, nature itself.

BOOKS

BOOKS Emerson’s second source of inspiration is books. Nobody can write a book of pure thought which will

be as useful in all respects for the coming generations as it is for his own generation. The books of an earlier period of history are not of much use to the future.

It is necessary to realize that books do not have a value and validity for all times to come. ”books are the best of things, well abused, among the worst”.

each generation must write its own books which can be of value at most for the next generations.

Young men grow up in colleges and libraries thinking that they have to accept the views which Cicero, Locks and Bacon have expressed in their books. but, these young men do not realize that all these writers were themselves only young men in libraries when they wrote these books.

The result of this worship of books is that we get “the book worm instead of man thinking. that we get the book learned class who value books as such and not as related to nature and to the human constitutions.”

“Books are for the scholar’s idle times. When he can read God directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s transcripts of their readings . We hear that we may speak “the Arabian proverbs says “a fig tree, looking on fig tree, becometh faithful”

The one valuable thing in the world is the active soul. This active soul should not be allowed to become the slave of the ideas contained in books. The active soul sees truth, speaks truth and also creates truth

Books are meant for the scholar’s idle time. In is busy time when he can directly read God ,he should not waste his precious time in reading what others have written. Books should not be underestimated. But it is wrong to confine one’s attention to books only.

Books are backward looking, but the active soul or genius is forward looking. However it should be remembered that genius can cause much harm also by over-influence.

Human mind can fed by the knowledge contained in books but the reading of books must be creative one. One must be an inventor to read well.

However, the basic principles or elementary facts can be acquired only by the careful and precise study of books.

History and science must be read laboriously and elements of the subjects must thus be acquired. But such a study, too, can be useful only when it develops the creative power of the scholars, when it enables him to think for himself.

Instead of memorizing history,Emerson believed books should only be used to gather information in order to form one’s own opinion.

Books should inspire new thought and new theory.

SCHOLAR

DUTIES OF A SCHOLARTo cheer, to raise and to guide men.He does the slow unhonoured and unpaid task

of observation.He must observe and study men and their

psychology and must not mind if fame does not come to him at once.

He must be prepared to accept not only poverty and scorn of the people but also solitude.

His chief consolation should be the fact that he exercises the highest functions of human nature.

He is a man “who raises himself above private considerations and lives on public and illustrious thoughts”.

He is the world’s eye.He is the world’s heart.

Such being his duties, it well be necessary for him to have full confidence in himself and never to need popular opinions. He should have the confidence to think that not only does he know the world popular opinions but also that he will not be carried away form his own convictions.

He should add patiently observation without caring for the view of the multitudes. And success is sure to come to him in the long run.

In understanding his own mind he would understand all minds. People well then listen to him with pleasure. This would give him power over the hearts and minds of man and they would listen by him and be guided by him.

A scholar should face the world boldly, it is for those who are lacking in self-confidence to feel afraid of this world.

The scholar must have so much confidence in himself as to be able to influence the world with his ideas, and free others from fear.

It is not the man who can alter matter who is great, the great man is he who can alter the state of mind of others.

The common people gladly bow to the great man. because they see on him the ripening human potentialities.

Common people are willing to give their own blood to make the heart of the great man beat.

He lives for them and they live in him. The scholar should try to be such a heroic man, and then all will bow down to him.

The scholar is that man who, ”must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contribution of the past, all the hopes of the future. He must be a university of knowledge.”

He is a man who has understood that the world is nothing and that the man is all important. In man himself is the law of all Nature.

He must know that Reason slumbers within him; he must awaken it and apply his reasoning faculty to understand the truth about man and his life.

Through his efforts and courage he must bring about the union of man with and with Nature and God.

CONCLUSIONThe American scholar should have confidence in the unexploredmight of man. Unfortunately, the spirit of the American man is thought to be timid, imitative, and tame. He must work patiently to achieve his noble aims. If that is done the American peoplewill walk on their own feet, will work with their own hands andwill speak their own mind. They will acquire self-confidence andIndependence of outlook. The scholar must carry out this nobletask with patience, courage and determination.

MY OPINION ON AMERICAN SCHOLAR

MAKE THE MOST OF YOURSELF FOR THAT IS ALL

THERE IS OF YOU

PRESENTED BY

KIRANMAYEECHORAGUDI