Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the prominent figures in the literature of the American Romantic period. As an essayist, lecturer, and poet, he cultivated the major characteristics of Romanticism in his ideas and literary works, which reflected his worldview that prioritized human beings as spiritualized individuals living in unity with idealized nature.
The figure of Ralph Waldo Emerson highlights the manifestations of American Romanticism by presenting an idealized poet who prioritizes his visionary and prophetic role in guiding the next generations of poets. He was one of the American transcendentalists who believed that nature holds a spiritual potential while human self-sufficient existence should be aligned not with God but with nature. While Emerson left multiple essays, scholarly works, and poems as his literary heritage, this paper will focus on his celebration of nature, spirituality, individualism, and personification as implemented in his “Ode to beauty.” Emerson’s focus on Romanticism theorization cultivated a solid background of literary devices and imagery characteristic of this period, which was significantly reflected in transcendentalism as the main feature of his poetic works.
Transcendentalism and Individualism as Main Themes of Emerson’s Poetry
As a believer of transcendentalism, Emerson applied this philosophy in his poetic works to emphasize the themes of nature’s spiritual potential and the uniqueness of human ability to explore self-reliance in unity with nature. To explore this assumption in detail, Emerson’s “Ode to beauty” might be used as a vivid example of applying transcendental and individualistic themes in his poetry. In particular, Emersonian Transcendentalism implies a “turn towards nature as a venue for authentic spiritual experience” (Zuber, 2021, p. 562). In the “Ode to beauty,” the author idealizes beauty as an inevitable and omnipresent manifestation of perfection in everything that surrounds human beings, especially nature, a part of which is a human. Emerson (1950) sees the ultimate manifestations of beauty in “the frailest leaf, the mossy bark, the acorn’s cup, the raindrop’s arc, the swinging spider’s silver line, the ruby of the drop of wine, the shining pebble of the pond” (para. 2). For the poet, beauty is seen in every feature of nature, which makes it a spiritual and God-like element of the universe.
Indeed, the transcendental philosophy followed by Emerson heavily relies on the allocation of God-like characteristics to nature, which is the manifestation of spirituality instead of religiousness. Indeed, the poet appears as a subordinate to the ultimate power of the beauty of nature as a substitution of divine power (Phuyal, 2021). Moreover, such a thematic premise is apparent in the language the poet uses in his work. In the opening lines of the poem, Emerson (1950) states, “lavish, lavish promiser, nigh persuading gods to err; guest of million painted forms, which in turn thy glory warms” (para. 2). In these lines, one might identify the theme of higher importance of nature as a spirit similar to gods, which is present in everything around humans, being worthy of glory. In such a manner, the poet “seeks to establish the connection of the world with the oversoul,” or an ultimate manifestation of the divine in the form of nature (Phuyal, 2021, p. 37). Thus, spirituality and the idealization of nature contribute to Emerson’s theme of human individuality and self-reliance, where nature, spirituality, and humans intertwine.
Indeed, the interconnection of nature’s divine essence with human life is a characteristic of the transcendental theme in Emerson’s poetry. According to Bukhari et al. (2021), the transcendentalist point of view of the poet entails the unification of nature, God, and human beings as a manifestation of self-reliance. Furthermore, this unity of a human and a divine force in the form of nature is manifested in the closing lines of the poem. Indeed, Emerson (1950) finishes his “Ode to beauty” by stating, “dread Power, but dear! if God thou be, unmake me quite, or give thyself to me” (para. 6). As any reflection of a great power that embodies the essence of a divine being, nature is perceived by the poet as a dreadful threat. However, he allows it to absorb him even at the risk of being ‘unmade’ only to unite with the ultimate beauty.
Major Characteristics of Romanticism as Reflected in Emerson’s Poetry
The Romantic period in literature was dominant in the 19th century and implied the introduction of new ideas and philosophical perceptions of the world, God, and humans. In particular, one of the main characteristics of Romanticism is the emphasis on the central role of nature in the world. Indeed, as has been demonstrated in the analysis of the themes in “Ode to beauty,” Emerson relies on nature as a source of beauty. He claims that beauty is perfection that exists in everything, and only those capable of seeing it might be considered humans worthy of enjoying life to its fullest. For example, in the poem, Emerson (1950) refers to beauty, saying, “thou eternal fugitive, hovering over all that live” (para. 4). Using these lines, the author demonstrates that beauty is an elusive and subtle matter that is difficult to identify and see in daily observed things. Therefore, only the individuals who are capable of having beauty in their hearts might see it in their surroundings.
Another significant feature of the Romantic period in literature and arts, the unity of nature and humans as the manifestation of individualism and spirituality, is also manifested in Emerson’s poetry. He claims that “new-born, we are melting into nature again,” which suggests the unity of the divine nature and human life (Emerson, 1950, para. 1). Moreover, individualism is observed in the manner in which the poet narrates his ideas in “Ode to beauty.” According to Noie (2019), Emerson “was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society” (p. 14). In the poem, he emphasizes the celebration of an individual’s self-sufficiency in unity with nature without seeking any other humans to validate one’s worth or wholeness. Thus, these elements identified in the poem by Emerson demonstrate the adherence of the author to the major characteristics of Romanticism in American literature.
Narrative Devices Used by Emerson to Convey Transcendentalism Messages
To ensure that he communicates his message to the audience in a vivid way, Emerson uses stylistic and linguistic aspects relevant to Romanticism. Specifically, the transcendental themes and the core features of the Romantic period are manifested in the poem by Emerson in the form of his vivid narrative and literary devices. For example, “Ode to beauty” is characterized by a style that mixes both the fear of and the admiration of beauty as a higher divine power (Emerson, 1950). The author intentionally uses allusions and figurative language, which are essential for Romanticism, to provide sufficient details describing beauty.
Indeed, when referring to the omnipresence of divine beauty throughout history and different parts of the world, the poet uses multiple allusions. To exemplify some of them, one might refer to Emerson’s (1950) allusion to Greek mythology in the lines “Olympian bards who sung divine ideas below, which always find us young and always keep us so” (para. 3). Another allusion that reflects the Romantic period in Emerson’s work is the allusion to the Biblical stories which are implied in these lines: “oft in streets or humblest places, I detect far-wandered graces, which, from Eden wide astray, in lowly homes have lost their way” (para. 3). In addition, Emerson (1950) uses simile by comparing different natural portrayals of beauty: “thee gliding through the sea of form, like the lightning through the storm” (para. 4). Moreover, metaphorical language allows Emerson (1950) to describe the manifestations of the author’s interaction with beauty, which he describes as “I drank at thy fountain false waters of thirst; thou intimate stranger, thou latest and first” (para. 1). Thus, the author vividly conveys his messages by using narrative and literary devices specific to his artistic period.
Conclusion
In summation, the analysis of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poetic works allowed for identifying a significant impact of his transcendentalism philosophy on the selection of themes and narrative devices. Indeed, as exemplified by Emerson’s “Ode to beauty,” the poet particularly adhered to the major characteristics of the Romantic period. Specifically, the author refers to the themes of the divine powers of nature, its spirituality, and unity with humans, as well as individualism and self-reliance. For Emerson, the ability to see beauty in nature and in oneself is the ultimate capability to live life to its fullest. Using a unique style, metaphors, allusions, similes, and detailed descriptions, the poet conveys his message of the importance of uniting with beauty and nature to fulfill one’s living.
References
Bukhari, R. J., Asgher, T., & Tahir, S. (2021). God in the mystic poetry of Khawaja Ghulam Farid and American transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review, 2(1), 36-44. Web.
Emerson, R. W. (1950). Ode to beauty. Poetry Foundation. Web.
Noie, S. (2019). Comparison of Emerson and Hafiz based on Claudio Guillen’s comparative literary theory of influence. Budapest International Research and Critics in Linguistics and Education Journal, 2(1), 12-23. Web.
Phuyal, K. P. (2021). On flowers and nations: Native symbol in Ralph Waldo Emerson and Kshetra Pratap Adhikari. Premier Critical Perspective, 5(1), 35-47. Web.
Zuber, D. (2021). ‘In the woods we return to reason and faith’: American Romanticism, environmentalism, and seeker spirituality. In P. Loffler et al. (Eds.), Handbook of American Romanticism (pp. 561-577).