Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson By Nicholas Ayres

2. About • Ralph Waldo Emerson, a poet, a scholar, an author, and a minister, was the center of the American Renaissance. • Most of his views and ideas were in his book, published in 1836, “Nature”. This book Represented over ten years of his work. • He was truly original and had the highest ideas of his age. • All of this made him somewhat of a celebrity during the 19th century life.

3. Young life • Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in 1803. To a family of Unitarian Ministers in Boston. • Many people in his family his father when his was eight, and later his three brothers. • Since Emerson was born in Boston, he was attended Boston Latin School. • Later in his life he attended Harvard Collage. • He dropped the “Ralph” in his name in collage.

4. Active years • Was known to be very active in his middle ages • His first wife died at twenty and his oldest son when he was five. • The great thinker liked challenged and changes, he gladly accepted them. Much like the rest of us, he preferred to be irresponsible. His works were full of consistency, which isn’t astonishing for Ralph’s tastes.

5. His work • Ralph Waldo Emerson, being born into a family of ministers, knew much about other religions and cultures. • He used this knowledge to write many of his books and essays. • His work inspired many Americans and Europeans including his friend Henry David Thoreau, John Dewey, and Friedrich Nietzsche. • These authors used Ralph Waldo Emerson’s themes such as power, fate, history, and religion.

6. His work cont. • Ralph Waldo Emerson started to work on his own system for education. • He believed that teaching someone personally one-on-one, is much better than teaching a large crowd of people. • He noted that “A scholar is educated by nature, books and action”. Nature is considered to be the first and most important, because it is all around us. Books provide the information to be learned and tested. Finally, action proves what we’re trying to learn and grasp.

7. A Poem “Deep in the man sits fast his fate To mold his fortunes, mean or great: Unknown to Cromwell as to me Was Cromwell's measure or degree; Unknown to him as to his horse, If he than his groom be better or worse. He works, plots, fights, in rude affairs, With squires, lords, kings, his craft compares, Till late he learned, through doubt and fear, Broad England harbored not his peer: Obeying time, the last to own The Genius from its cloudy throne. For the prevision is allied Unto the thing so signified; Or say, the foresight that awaits Is the same Genius that creates.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

8. Death • Ralph Waldo Emerson died in 1882 of pneumonia. • His funeral was attended by many. • Ralph Waldo Emerson was buried in sleepy hollow cemetery.