Agenda- January 21 st , 2014

1. Agenda- January 21st, 2014 • Freshmen: • SSR • Myth of the Day • Begin…Odyssey • Juniors: • SSR • Emerson and Aphorisms • Aphorisms Explained (wkst)

2. Ralph Waldo Emerson • Page 216 • Transcendentalist writer and poet • Expressed the advantages of a young land—the possibilities, freedom, energy, etc.

3. Ralph Waldo Emerson • Appealed to both intellectuals and the general populace • Describes himself as a POET—”in the sense of a perceiver and dear lover of the harmonies that are in the soul and in matter”

4. Family Life • Born in 1803 to a poor but cultured family • Son of a minister • Pressured to go to Harvard • His life was a series of attempts to establish his own identity against expectations

5. Tragedy and Change • Studied philosophy and theology in college • Got married, she died 17 months later, and he abandoned religion and his pulpit • Traveled Europe, conversed with poets of the age

6. The Influence of a Woman • Ellen Tucker • Met Christmas Day, and was captivated by her spirit and beauty • She loved nature, had wit and a mind of her own, and intended to become a poet

7. The Influence of a Woman • Suffered from Tuberculosis • The couple knew the time they had together would be short • Wrote love letters • Happy time for Emerson—a time of remarkable intellectual and emotional growth

8. The Influence of a Woman • Her condition worsened • His sermons became increasingly about death • He wrote love poems for her and prepared for the inevitable

9. Her Loss • Ellen died at age 19 • Emerson felt his personal world was cur off from the natural world, as he was cut off from Ellen—”unstrung, debilitated by grief” • Clung to the idea that her spirit survived the death of her body • Never outlived the sense of loss created by her death • Separation became his reality

10. Return to US • Returned to the US, remarried, and began to lecture • Denied the importance of the past • “Idea of Man”- individual souls were part of a larger identity (“Over-Soul”)

11. Writing • Wrote: • “The American Scholar”- told American writers to unchain themselves from Europe’s learning • “The Divinity School Address” – rejection of institutionalized religion in favor a personal connection with God • “Nature”- divinity and identity is reflected in the natural world • “Self-Reliance”- emphasized the importance of standing alone, not relying on instutitions

12. Twilight of an Idol • His home, Concord, became a destination for young truth-seekers • Society responded to his optimism- they were at the dawn of a new age

13. Tragedy and Death • In 1842, his son, Waldo, dies. • Emerson becomes an emotional shell, and never really recovers • Begins losing his memory, even the power of speech • Dies a recluse

14. Aphorism • SHORT STATEMENTS THAT EXPRESS WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATIONS ABOUT LIFE.