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Nature and Man in Ralph Waldo Emerson's Poem

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Nature and Man in Ralph Waldo Emerson's Poem International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2016, PP 1-5 ISSN 2347-3126 (Print) & ISSN 2347-3134 (Online) http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0411001 www.arcjournals.org Nature and Man in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Poem “Water” and Carl Sandberg’s Poem "Grass”: A Comparative Study Dr. Kanar Asaad Adham Dept. of English- School of Languages University of Sulaimani, Sulaimani, Iraq Abstract: The relatedness between Nature and Man is controversial. It is an arguable subject that rose, from the beginning of creation, a lot of questions which were open to different visionary answers as each researcher gives an answer to his dilemma. This paper deals with the relatedness between nature and man in two poems written by men of ideology; Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and Carl Sandberg (1878-1967). In each poem there is a release of thoughts, not from the traditional use of the pronoun “I”, but an exchange of ideas managed by both man and nature and how they deal with each other. It is worthy to note that each poet belonged to a different literary period, but both share the same perception about the balance between man and nature reflected in their poetry. Emerson and Sandberg had an intellectual ability which managed their poetry as the paper investigates both poems thematically in the light of "Transcendentalism"; a philosophical movement that Emerson adapted during 19th century, eventually, it affected a number of poets who admired Emerson's approach towards life, nature and humanity in a way that the reader cannot depart from adapting the same perception, or at least, admire it. Keywords: Transcendentalism, Nature, Man, vision, battlefield, war. 1. INTRODUCTION Ralph waldo Emerson (1803-1882) is an American poet and essayist. He appeared in the time of New England or as sometimes referred to as American Renaissance (1840-1860). Emerson was born in Boston to a poor family whose ancestors were clergymen back to the time of the puritans. He entered Harvard at the age of fourteen, but his real career started when he published his journals at the age of sixteen. He spent many years in a life of questioning, self doubts as he was seeking an inner direction towards a better understanding of the world around him. He entered the ministry, but after three years he resigned his pastorate leading himself to a more mature spiritual life. During this time, an intellectual movement appeared called Transcendentalism advocating that the basic truths of the universe lie beyond the knowledge obtained from the senses (Abbott, 1996: 208). His first essay ―Nature‖ appeared in 1836 marked his new vision about the relation of the soul to nature that initiated the foundations of the philosophy of Transcendentalism; a realm of knowledge that goes beyond what is seen or learn from books. It is the existence of the soul and its relation to a reality beyond the physical world, simply called intuition or the highest power of the soul, a power that "never reasons, never proves, it simply perceives" (Ibid). Nature, according to the eighteenth century view, was a machine, but Emerson believed that spiritual existence of man is reflected in the world of nature and there is a higher spiritual law that spread through all forms of life. In his essay ―Nature‖ Emerson says: ―Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchers of the fathers It writes biographies, histories, and criticism. The forgoing generations Beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should Not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not We have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and A religion by revelation to us not the history of theirs?‖ ( Wyne,2010:185) ©ARC Page | 1 Dr. Kanar Asaad Adham This quotation illuminates the core of our study of the poem ―Water‖ which deals with a world limited between the soul and nature in an eloquent analogy between water as a face of nature and man as the core of civilization. Also, in his lecture" The Transcendentalist" delivered in 1843, he simplified his new movement: " what is popularly called Transcendentalism among us is idealism "." It is a tendency to respect the intuition". 2. ANALYSIS OF THE POEM “WATER” The poem is a short seven lines, free verse. The poet personifies nature in one of its forms ―water‖ as a human being and precedes water before the reference to man using the term ―civilization‖. It is clear that the word civilization means [ a society in an advanced state] that is; the higher state of an intellectual man, perhaps for the purpose of stating a developed analogy and tone of conversation between man throughout ages and nature from the beginning of creation. As the poem begins with ―the water understands civilization well‖; it establishes the base of the analogy that the poet manages skillfully from the beginning showing nature more inclusive than human being. From the understanding of water to man, the poet defines the scope of this understanding through short lines but wittily expressive; the number of adverbs used are sufficient to give a full detailed picture of this relatedness. Moreover, the poet turns to use the pronoun ―it‖ in his argument where the speaker, now, is "Man" referring to "water" as "It": It wets my foot, but prettily, It chills my life, but wittily, Here, "prettily" and "wittily" show the sweetness and smartness of the intrusion of nature as it sweetly and mildly, in an admirable way, calls man without his notice to include his whole life to contend with nature silently. More interesting, is the use of ―foot‖ (the first part of the body the touches and senses water on a beach) before ―life‖ as if the poet records the physical connection between man and nature before proceeding to the whole life of man being chilled by nature, especially if we consider the meaning of ―chill‖ as a verb of sensation to cover the all senses of man. Emerson gives more description of nature ―it is not disconcerted, it is not broken-hearted‖; nature is not in confusion, it is in tune as one unit, it is not broken hearted like man who is always apt to many misfortunes. Nature is more harmonium and in steadiness than man. Nature beatifies man’s life if it well used ―well used, it decketh joy‖; more and more, nature doubles its beauty and decorates man’s life if man showed more earnestness and honesty to it ―Adorneth, doubleth joy‖. Emerson believed that nature is "the vehicle of thought", which is to say that nature provides us with a medium, not only of word but of things, that gives us access to spirit or truth ((Kern,1996: 40). The relatedness between nature and man is conditioned by the way man treats nature; if nature ill used, the whole balance will turn upside down ―it will destroy‖. Destruction means damage out of repair; a state that man is the cause and the initiative. Nature keeps its beauty and elegance till man starts his demolition to it. The destruction will be organized and in a measurable way ―in perfect time and measure‖, but with a face of golden pleasure. Why the poet insists on keeping the grandeur of nature? The answer lies in the fact that nature resists man’s destruction and its existence is beyond the continuous trails of man through ages. Emerson repudiated materialism as he advocated that people should live a simple life with harmony with nature. Finally, the poet ends his poem with the manner that nature manages its destruction of man, it elegantly destroy; a highly dignified way that suits masters and kings. Nature is not weak to be the victim easily. The equation is clear, if man treats nature well, nature repays the same. The poet, from the beginning of the poem declares that nature ―water‖ understands man ―civilization‖ well. So, it depends on man to keep the steadiness and the balance between him and nature, to find the "self" in nature, to be part of it if he let his soul to be united with nature. In this respect, Wyne says: "A right relationship with nature also means an understanding of the relation of the parts to the whole. It is the difference between seeing individual farms owned by individual men and seeing ―the landscape.‖ It is ―the poet‖ who ―can integrate all the parts." ((Wyne, 2010: 186) International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Page | 2 Nature and Man in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Poem “Water” and Carl Sandberg’s Poem "Grass”: A Comparative Study 3. CARL SANDBURG Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) is an American poet and a well known biographer of Abraham Lincoln. He was born in Illinois to Swedish immigrant parents in Galesburg. He finished public schooling in 1891 and his family forced him to leave school early. In 1897, he left home abroad a railroad car, moving from town to town and working odd jobs, through these experiences, he developed a keen sense of the people. After his participation in the Spanish-American war (1898) he tried to continue his education at Lombard College, but he left it also to travel and work at various jobs. From 1902, Sandburg worked for a series of small magazines. He worked also as a journalist from 1909-1912, as a city hall reporter, as a staff writer of Milwaukee Leader and many other jobs. Officially, his poetry was published in 1914 which introduced him to the world of poetry as a voice of the working class and he developed the American poetic tradition in his use of free verse and plain speech.
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