Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his address to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Cambridge, Massachusetts, introduced a Man Thinking as the primary metaphor for a genuine scholar. The components that constitute the man thinking are natural, which represents a teacher, and the mind of the Past, a metaphor for books. Both symbols aim to transform the delegated intellect, a mouthpiece of other thinkers to the authentic scholar, or man thinking (Emerson par. 6). The prerequisite of the man thinking metaphor is the authors desire to reflect on one of the capacities of a whole man who has been divided to implement various functions, there is One Manpresent to all particular men only partially, or through one faculty (par. 4). Emerson indicates that a man with a particular duty to fulfill becomes a representation of a thing. For example, the sailor is a rope; a mechanic is a machine (par. 5). Applying this pattern of metaphoric portrayal, the author describes the scholar as the Man Thinking (par. 6). To find out who the genuine intellectual might be, Emerson outlines the constitution of the scholar and his responsibilities in the society. The same issue inspires Northrop Frye in his essay The Motive for Metaphor with the following contemplation: What is the function of the teacher and scholar, or of the person who calls himself, as I do, a literary critic? (par. 1). Therefore, Emerson has initiated a discussion that has been extended by other thinkers.
The primary teacher of the authentic scholar, according to the author, is nature. This metaphor demonstrates the endless curiosity of the man thinking, Every day, men and women, conversing, beholding and beholden. The scholar is he of all men whom this spectacle most engages (Emerson par. 8). Emerson argues that the changing essence of nature is the fundamental concern of the scholars interest. Moreover, the circular power of nature symbolizes the similarity to the scholars spirit, thus: There is never a beginning, there is never an end, but always circular power returning into itself (Emerson par. 8). The Man Thinking has to be deeply perceptive to recognize the resemblance between nature and his mind. Emerson mentions one root to indicate this affinity. Through understanding the processes of nature, the authentic intellectual may see the structure, but not the chaos. The origin from the one root leads to the conclusion that the architecture of nature and the human mind has a similar organization.
Thus, the comprehension of nature is the only way to understand oneself, and the ancient precept, Know thyself, and the modern precept, Study nature, become at last one maxim (par. 9). Frye, contemplating the question of the English language and its relation to English literature, introduces the notion of three levels of mind. The first level deals with the perception of the difference between oneself and other entities; the second level is signified by the language of professional socialization, and the last level of mind expresses the imagination capacity of the language (Frye par. 11). Regarding Emersons nature, which is a metaphor for a teacher and the learning process, Fryes first level of the mindunderstanding of the world through separationimplies the observation and usage of language to recognize the discrepancies and likeness of nature and the scholar.
The mind of the Past, which is an essential part of developing the genuine scholar, signifies the books that are treasure and danger at the same time. Emersons line the theory of books is noble refers to the generous sources that can assist the scholar with everything he needs and contribute to the creation of new knowledge: It came to him, business; it went from him, poetry. It was dead fact; now, it is quick thought (Emerson par. 11). Although books modify actions into immortal thoughts, which symbolize truth, they have an inherent danger because any book, in spite of its value and credibility, is only partially true. Books belong to a particular time and, thus, reflect the socially constructed thoughts typical for this time period. Since the scholar is searching for truth, a book may be a guideline, a satellite instead of a system. In this phrase, the author refers to the stimulating capacity of books, They are for nothing but to inspire (par. 15). Therefore, the scholar should use books merely as the foundation for his thoughts and creations but not for the substituting of the work of his mind by them. Emerson emphasizes the importance of an active soul as the greatest value. Even the genuine desire of insightfulness can be trapped by the tricky nature of the books. As an example, the author speaks about the English dramatic writers, who have Shakespearized now for two hundred years (par. 16).
Applying Fryes idea about literature as a social construction that does not belong to an individuals organic habitat but to the world created by him (par. 15), the difference between two teachersnature and the mind of the Pastis perceived as the separation between the authentic development of the mind, which is represented in nature, and the external influence on the scholars growth, illustrated by the significance of the books. To accumulate the power of the printed sources, Emerson proposes the right way of reading that is opposite to the submission to the books that are considered as tools by the author (par. 17). The reading should be a pleasure, and Books are for the scholars idle times (par. 16). In the line, We read the verses of one of the greatest English poets, of Chaucer, of Marvell, of Dryden, with the most modern joy,with a pleasure, which is in great part caused by the abstraction of all time from their verses, Emerson relies on the notion that the most significant books are timeless and provide insight into the nature of things and characters; however, they do not enslave the mind and create a space for their own thoughts and actions. This idea corresponds with Fryes notion of the three levels of mind and their relation to the various human occupations such as science or the arts. Art starts with the imagination, and then works towards ordinary experience (Frye par. 12). Therefore, books provide the basis for the future development of the scholar; they stimulate his critical thinking abilities through understanding the value and truth inserted in the printed pages.
Summarizing, the Man Thinking is the genuine scholar who gains his knowledge from the teacher, or nature, and the books, or the mind Past. Both of them represent the different levels of mind: the first one symbolizes the continuity and the vigor, which correspond with the qualities of nature; the second level presents the inexhaustible sources for ideas and the process of creation. Emersons desire to associate the organic mechanisms of nature and the development of the mind, as well as gathered knowledge of the past in the books, through metaphors, illustrates the intention of the human mind to comprehend the processes that are going on outside of him.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph H. The American Scholar.
Frye, Northrop. The Motive for Metaphor.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.