Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Experience"


In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Experience” he considers, among other things, the death of his young son Waldo. Emerson writes in rather opinion or helplessness, “I grieve that grief can teach me nothing,” he laments, perhaps insisting there is nothing to learn from this devastating loss. Emerson goes on, leaning toward between acknowledgement and assertion, and creating along the way a number of key points. In “Experience” he defines “spirit” as “matter reduced to an extreme thinness.” He describes “human life” as consisting of “two elements, power and form, and the proportion must be invariably kept.” A major claim made by Emerson is “The years teach us much which the days never know,” this is an argument for the idea that experience cannot be condensed to or thought of by only the smallest events, then added back up again to establish a life. Therefore, there is a complex whole present in a life and at work through us. Another statement Emerson makes is that nature in itself is beautiful, it also holds patterns, and when people discover the patterns and begin seeing them, it loses its beauty. Despite the melancholy tone throughout Emerson’s essay he also shows optimism, a faith in human events and his sense that divinity radiates through all being. Every day,” he writes, and “every act betrays the ill-concealed deity.”
Emerson’s “Experience,” is at times despairing in its tone, particularly while he goes on about the death of his son. However, I believe some points he makes are quite valid. For example, when he says “The years teach us much which the days never know.” I would agree with this claim, a person cannot be defined by simply short days. However, days upon days added up give us experiences and ultimately teach us something, whether it is about ourselves or nature, years give us knowledge that short days cannot quite compare with. However, this claim does raise a question. Does this mean short days cannot teach us anything? For that I would disagree. For any day can hold great importance and lessons. I feel as though Emerson might not think so because he is still grieving the loss of his son and is quick to say that he will learn nothing from this grief. However, he must re-analyze this, because although that may be the case, often people learn the most from tragedy. 

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