Thinking

Explication of Emerson”The intellectual life may be kept clean and healthful, if man will live the life of nature, and not import into his mind difficulties which are none of his” Spiritual Laws (Emerson 150).

In this passage Emerson uses the words clean and healthful in an interesting way. When using the two aforementioned words, Emerson is referring to the intellectual life, saying that life itself, or your very existence for that matter can be clean and healthful. These words at first appear to denote a person’s appearance or general health however, looking further, one notices that Emerson’s language indicates something much more grand and abstract. Here, Emerson is not so much discussing life as life-style, commenting on the gratuitous and anxious mania in which many live our lives, saying that we need not bother with things which affect us other than nature for she is the omnipresent force, and if one truly submits them self to the force of nature they will have very little qualms like those of material or intangibles which we constantly covet and argue over. Going further Emerson is not merely relating this to the average person but more specifically addresses it to The Intellectual. When looking at the passage using this viewpoint his aim seems more specific and his language takes on new meaning as it becomes more clear that he means to say that the intellectual need not concern himself with matters other than those of nature (which he is using in the broadest terms to mean human nature as well as organic nature) for they are moot or unimportant.

 

Emerson

In class we discussed three Emerson essays: Circles, The Poet, and Experiences. These essays all show different ways in which Emerson questions conventional societal roles and conventional forms of thought in general. In Circles Emerson talks about how one forms thoughts and how those thoughts may be influenced by others as a person takes another’s thought and makes it his own. Also, the idea of the ever expanding personal circle is discussed. This idea poses that a persons thoughts have a general boundary which Emerson calls their sphere’s circumference.  The sphere’s circumference is expanded when new ways of thinking, ideas, and concepts are introduced which cause a new, larger circle to form around the old one. An interesting facet of this theory is that, when a new circle forms around what was formerly known to be the circumference of one’s knowledge, the old circle does not dissipate nor is consumed by the new circle; instead one forms around the old one. Because of this a person consciousness becomes made up an expanse of many circles which represent different modes of thinking during different times in your life. Also, because these circles expand around each other one can always revert to the thinking of a previous circle.

Parables

It can be strange to think that in one point in time people relied almost solely on stories to shape their beliefs and guide their moral compass. However, for most of ancient history up to fairly modern times, written works had been either fantastical tales of glorious, infallible rulers and warriors or cautionary tales delving into the gritty, convoluted moral fiber of the human being.  One of the most recognizable forms, of what might commonly be referred to as a fable, is a parable. These tales discussed, mainly through metaphoric and allegorical means. This is because these tales often revolve around a seemingly commonplace problem, task, or dilemma which is then solved and presented as a blanket solution for all similar problems. This of course is not very helpful for any specific situation but instead the parable serves to enlighten the reader to the righteous ways of the church, as parables are in essence religious doctrine.

Metaphor

It was interesting to see from our class discussion how much metaphor has become a part of everyday language. Many colloquial terms, which have become cliche, are actually metaphors. However, in their common context many metaphors are ignored or simply not noticed as they appear in common language too much to denote much meaning. However, if one stops and examines the colloquial metaphors, which we have grown so attached to, it can give you deeper insight and a better understanding of the phrase and it’s subject.

Trifles

In class today we discussed the play Trifles. It was interesting how the characters were so dynamic, the women, at first, not able to think that the wife could have committed such a heinous crime. However, through their discussions and the evidence which they find they begin to realize that the timid wife may have actually been very capable of committing murder. In fact they become convinced that she is the killer and even hide the evidence which they find in order to assist her.

When looking at the different English programs offered at various colleges across the state, it quickly became apparent that there are many ways of graduating with a degree in English. While some colleges offered very rigid programs with little wiggle room to actually choose courses, others allowed you free reign to take whatever classes you see fit as long as you seek an adviser’s assistance. These stark contrasts show the range of options which colleges offer. I believe that the more a student is able to choose classes and subject matters which they find interesting and enjoyable, the more likely they are to succeed. Because of this i think that the course model offered at colleges like Umass Amherest, afford the student the best possible means of pursing their major.

Pratt

Through the discipline of sociolinguistics scientists have been able to comment on the occurrence of how even the most uneducated person can tell an amazing anecdote or personal story. Through this study the sociologists concluded that it is not someone’s level of education which determines their ability to tell a cohesive story. Consequently they also discovered that we all have the inherent ability to tell a story with many of the common literary devices already imbedded into the way in which we communicate.