"Nature" By Ralph Waldo Emerson Response
The essay by Ralph Emerson called, "Nature" is very moving. It speaks of how nature has the ability to release past memories and unpleasant egotistic tendencies by truly living off the land. Emerson states that nature has the ability to give, "perpetual youth." He thinks of old age as something to be shed off, like every year is more pain in modern day society. Upon entering into the woods, those years are "cast off."
Emerson also talks about, “an occult relation between man and the vegetable… they nod to me and I to them,” This relationship is formed within nature. Once a person has experienced the value to a humble life of living off the land, he can understand what is around him better. He no longer thinks of a vegetable as just something to eat or sell, but as something that is grown and alive. This is very important because it allows a person to feel more about what is around them, and it signifies the respect needed between all living things.
H believes that this relationship to, “produce such delight does not reside in nature, but in man, or in the harmony of both.” As in the Shel Silverstein’s novel, “The Giving Tree” states, all nature does in the world is give. Emerson points out that it is human’s job to acknowledge this occurrence with respect and gratitude because “nature is a setting that fits [people] equally well.”
Word Count: 246
“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Response
In this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it talks about the tide rising and falling. The poem is a story about the life of a person. In the first stanza, it says that, “the traveler hastens towards the town.” This means that the traveler is born and has eagerly gone into society. Soon the traveler has died when we hear, “the little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands.” The tide erases the traveler and the memories that associate with him. The “darkness that settles on the roofs and walls,” are the grieving loved ones who mourn for his death. “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls.” This line is meant to say that continues to move on after death. The repetition of the line, “And the tide rises, and the tide falls,” conveys this message as well. Longfellow states that life goes on after death, despite the influences of the person. He uses the tide as a way to say that nature will always continue on its same path if allowed to. I thought the poem was sad to thin about because it makes the claim that human life is in significant.
Words: 217
“The Devil and Tom Walker,” By Washington Irving Repsonse
The main theme of Washington Irving’s short story called, “The Devil and Tom Walker” is greed. When Old Scratch (the devil), offers Tom an old Kidd the Pirate’s treasure, he says, “he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife.” Tom didn’t want the treasure because he would of have to had shared it with his wife that he hated. Soon after in the story, the wife tries by herself to get the treasure. After she disappears, Tom takes it for himself. These are both symbols of greed. The devil is a sly and evil man who gains from the greed of people such as Tom Walker and his wife. We see in the beginning how he burned a log with wealthy man’s name on it. From the end of the story when the devil comes to collect Tom to drag him to hell, we can see that all the wealthy men’s names on the logs are those who had been greedy too. This story was a bit scary because despite the attempts Tom makes to cleanse himself of his sins, he still cannot break the deal he made to the devil. This story reminds me of the fire and brimstone speeches in “The Crucible,” that were used to scare parishioners into being good. This tale sounds like it was said to children for the same purpose.
Words: 237
“To Build a Fire” By Jack London Response
This story was very sad because although the man is skilled to live in the Artic climate, he dies because of careless mistakes he made. The point of view in the story is one of the most interesting aspects. It is told from third person omniscient, who gives thoughts to not only the desperate traveler, but also his dog. Each character is concerned with only saving themselves. This is eminent when the dog runs back to camp once the owner dies; and when the man wishes to kill the dog so that he can use the carcass for warmth.
Another interesting writing style of the book is its instruction manual qualities. It really does teach the reader about the danger of, “the coldest snaps that never freeze during the winter,” and how to build a fire. I liked that this story was entertaining as well as informative. Although the man is by himself, there is lots of suspense built up as the story moves forward and the dangers become greater.
Something that annoys me about this naturalism and transcendentalism portrayed throughout all the stories we’ve read is that they are all written by and starred by men. No women in any of these stories are mentioned to have the ability to be as involved in a close relationship with nature as men are. I think that its something very odd considering that women are the one’s who go through childbirth; something considered being the most natural thing of all. There are stereotypes being enforced by not naming women. Like that since they are so vain, or too involved within the gossiping of society that they cannot possibly remove their egotism (the idea stated from Thoreau’s Walden and Emerson’s Nature). Maybe the fact they aren’t mentioned is because all the time periods of these novels or stories are so far back, and because of this women were not seen in the same light as men. That would be an adequate back up, but the fact we read, “To Build a Fire” by Phillip Connors changes all that. He was writing his story in 2002, meaning that it was published sometime afterwards. If one is to pick a transcendentalist in modern times, what better opportunity to use a woman. Or are women to just be the simple-minded ones who cannot fully understand living in the wild, such as the woman in Into the Wild. She was just a rubber-traveler, never fully entering the woods. Or in the Devil and Tom Walker, where the wife tried to get the money on her own, showing only greed, and wound up dead. Why not involve Margaret Fuller, Mary Emerson, Sophia Peabody-Hawthorne, or Sophia Ripley? Sure the ideals stated in the general passages are saying humans as a whole, but the unspecificity of women is a sad thing to think about.
Words: 483
“The Snowstorm” By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Snowstorm begins with the snow being, “announced by the trumpets of the sky.” From this starting line, the reader can tell the snow is important and powerful. This is similar to how kings and queens were announced at the sounds of trumpets. It has the ability to stop, “travelers, and the courier’s feet.” This powerful theme is enhanced even more because the mailmen usually deliver through any type of weather. The tone begins to change to something of praise while it talks of, “the north wind’s masonry.” The descriptions that follow are all comparisons to great accomplishments in classic architecture. By saying that the snow is powerful and an architect, Emerson clearly loves the remains the snow leaves behind.
This idea of the snow changing the landscape is very much intact in modern day society. I remember last year when there were two snow days in a row, I loved looking out my window to see white towers created in the snow. This is similar to how Emerson felt in the poem while he is inside looking out at the storm. The only difference I feel with the snow is the relation towards the sunshine. Emerson says that, “when the sun appears, astonished Art.” I feel that when the sun melts snow, it is sad and leaves lumps of what used to be great architecture.
Words: 231
