Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nature”
“Self-Reliance”
Tenets of Transcendentalism
Human senses are limited.
 They convey knowledge of the physical
world, but deeper truths can be grasped
only through intuition.
 The observation of nature illuminates the
nature of human beings.

Tenets of Transcendentalism

God, nature, and humanity are united in a
shared universal soul, or Over-Soul.
About the Selection
In this excerpt, Emerson expresses his
belief that the meaning of existence can
be found while exploring the natural world.
 He describes how, through his exploration
of nature, he has discovered that he is
spiritually connected with the universe,
with God, and with every living thing.

Analysis
What does Emerson mean when he talks
of a “transparent eyeball”?
 “I become a transparent eyeball” is a
jarring image.
 Emerson means that he sees everything.
 The metaphor suggests the poet is like a
single, huge eye.

Analysis
According to Emerson, what is the
relationship between Emerson and
nature?
 Emerson feels spiritually a part of nature
and every living thing, as well as God.
 Emerson says that nature allows us to
become transparent eyeballs, seeing all,
but remaining detached from the business
of the world.

Critical Reading
What emotions does Emerson experience
when in the woods?
 He experiences complete and total delight.

Challenging the Text
According to Emerson, from where does
the power to produce “this delight” come
from?
 The power comes from human beings, not
nature, or from a combination of both.

Analysis
“Mean egotism” vanishes in the woods.
 “Mean egotism” could be defined as petty
narcissism.
 Nature replaces “mean egotism” with
divinity and delight.

Analysis
Emerson becomes a “transparent eyeball”
when he sheds “mean egotism” amidst
nature.
 Through this shedding process, he
becomes connected to nature and God.
 Emerson, like everyone and everything, is
connected to the Universal Being.

Analysis
The power to produce delight comes from
a harmony between man and nature.
 Human beings and nature are forever
intertwined, but not necessarily is that
relationship serene.

Analysis
Our experience with nature is never the
same way twice.
 Sometimes nature is less welcoming.
 It depends, in part, on nature’s mood and,
in part, on the emotions we bring to the
woods.
 Nature reflects our emotions and our
mood.

Analysis

Nature teaches us how we are connected
to everyone and everything around us.
Rhetorical Devices
Speaker – Ralph Waldo Emerson
 Audience – Humanity
 Purpose – To inform
 Position – Only through nature can man
truly understand his place in the universe,
and only through nature can we
experience true delight.

Rhetorical Devices
Visual imagery
 Philosophical tone
 Elevated diction
 Figurative language
 Alternating syntax (long and
short sentences)

“Self-Reliance”
Emerson exhorts readers to avoid blindly
conforming to the ideas and behavior
dictated by society or peers.
 Instead, he urges people to think and act
independently.

“Trust thyself”
What does the passage beginning “Trust
thyself” tell you about Emerson’s belief in
the importance of the individual?
 He believes the individual’s importance is
from God and that people must therefore
honor it and trust in it.

Interpretation
What does Emerson believe about being
true to oneself?
 Emerson believes it produces the best
work and the most spiritual peace.
 He believes that unless one is true to
oneself, one will never find inspiration.

According to Emerson:
What is society’s main purpose?
 To conspire against the individual
 Emerson thinks that people should not
care how others perceive them.

According to Emerson:
What do Pythagoras, Socrates, Jesus,
Luther, Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton
have in common?
 They were all misunderstood.
 Emerson points out that some of the
greatest people who ever lived were
misunderstood.

Figurative Language



“Trust thyself: every heart
vibrates to that iron
string.”
“A foolish consistency is
the hobgoblin of little
minds.”
“Speak what you think
now in hard words and
tomorrow speak what
tomorrow thinks in hard
words again.”
According to Emerson:
What role does the “divine” have in
determining each person’s circumstances?
 The divine is God’s idea of what each of
us might be if we had the courage to live
up to our full potential
 The reason we live is to seek out God’s
purpose for us and to pursue it without
fear of society’s pressures and opinions.

Rhetorical Devices
Speaker – Ralph Waldo Emerson
 Audience – People who fear
nonconformity
 Purpose – to persuade
 Position – People should think for
themselves and not be concerned that
their thoughts may be different from others
in society.

Rhetorical Devices
Visual Imagery
 Auditory Imagery
 Figurative language
 Elevated diction
 Aphorisms
 Rhetorical Questions
 Alternating syntax (long with semicolons;
short, concise)
