In Emerson’s Nature, the relationship between man and his environment is one of great importance. Though written in a time before global warming and over-harvesting was a problem, Emerson writes very wise words that reflect the idea that man and nature depend on each other. First off, Emerson states that finding a certain peace with nature is essential to finding delight in the natural world. Man and nature need to find a harmony. This brings me back to the last post I wrote where I stated that the wilderness was a place where a person faces themselves and has to fight and be at peace; for when left to their own accord it is up to man to decided whether he be evil or not.
Yet in counterargument that the spirit is reflected by nature…Emerson later states: “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit”(29). Now here the words can be taken in the same way and related back to the fact that in wilderness a man must decided whether he is truly evil or not. However, it can also be seen as a larger picture as one imagines man’s effect on the environment instead of the environment on man. Take, for example, man’s pollution of the air and their impact on global warming. The world warms and the environment begins to wane. The waves get nastier, the waters more endless, the days hotter and dryer, the wind harsher; all are changes for the worse and lead to calamities. So if nature wears the colors of the spirit, that means that men are evil.
According to Emerson it is only a nature-lover who is not evil for it is they who can “see” nature. It is children that can “see” the sun that shines and enjoy it with innocence. Emerson is clearly defining what he thinks of mankind as a whole and his view on men and their nature. He is showing that being in the wilderness is more tranquil than living in a village–therefore it can be inferred that Emerson does not have a high view of society.
Society has progressed but it has damaged nature along the way. Likewise, nature has begun to damage society in the recent years. Emerson, preceding these huge problems, foresaw the deep connection between man and the environment and that they must create harmony in order to be live happy and tranquil lives. Yet not one man, but all men must do this. For when man and nature become one, we will, as Emerson believes, transcend.
I really like some of the ideas you are developing in this post, the idea that nature can be a mirror for man, and has in turn “begun to damage society in recent years,” I find especially interesting. This idea has a elegant sort of symmetry, we hurt the environment -it hurts us back. The personification of nature inherent in this idea allows the reader to relate to nature. One critique I’d like to bring attention to is that I felt as if some additional Emerson quotes could have enhanced your points, for instance in your third paragraph a quote that combines the idea of innocence with the nature observer may have added some support to your argument. I also liked how you related it back your first post.
I found this post to be particularly interesting, especially the part about humans destroying nature, yet at the same time nature is slowing destroying humans. I’ve never thought about this that way before. Everything that humans have done to the environment in the past is coming back around. It’s a very cyclical cycle. It’s almost like the environment and society can’t really coexist in this day in age.
Great post!
I am absolutely fascinated by your statement regarding nature and how it has begun to harm humans. Initially, I was confused and did not quite understand what you meant by this. However, I believe what you say is true. Because of us, the Earth is slowly becoming inhabitable and we are going to soon realize that something must be done soon to remedy this. It is incredible that Emerson had these thoughts that are applicable to today!
You make some interesting connections in this post between Emerson’s philosophy as he explains it in “Nature” and current day environmental problems. In particular, I think your post raises the interesting question of whether Emerson’s ideas of “correspondences” could possibly provide the foundation for a kind of environmental ethics or value system. You are correct to note that Emerson wasn’t explicitly trying to offer his readers a set of environmental ethics, nor was he aware of environmental degradation, but perhaps there is something ecocentric about his philosophy of correspondences. Also, you state at the end of your post that Emerson hopes “man and nature become one”; do you have any specific textual evidence to support that claim? Do you think this is what he is proposing in the final few paragraphs of the essay? You might want to think more closely about this point, especially if you are writing about Emerson for the close reading assignment. Good job!
I can agree with your points on how humanity’s actions have led to changes in the world’s climate and how nature has also brought harm to man as well. Someone (Mason) commented on how it is a cycle. That reminds me of how Emerson mentions that Nature is a process in the last passage “Nature is not fixed but fluid. Spirit alters, moulds, makes it” (p. 54). This sentence is similar to nature wearing the colors of the spirit which you commented on because the environmental climate change was, in large part, caused by man. The climate change was the result of the process of Nature that changed along with the Spirit. When you think of it that way, one could say that you were correct in saying that man is evil and Nature is wearing the colors to reflect that. Anyway, great post!
Just to expand on my comment: of course there are redeeming values in all of this. Emerson’s main point is that Nature and the human Spirit are connected, like you said before, and there must be some form of harmony between the two for humanity and the natural world to coexist.