Utilizing Metaphor to Provide Transcendence through Nature - Research Paper Example

Utilizing Metaphor to Provide Transcendence through Nature In Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson uses the literary element of metaphorical language to illustrate the theme of man’s acceptance of nature and the importance that nature holds on the foundation for a full life. For Emerson, man is not appreciative of nature and is thus unable to fully enjoy life; and more, that man has become distracted by the confines of his own reality to the point that he doesn’t acknowledge the beauty that nature is providing in abundance. With that said, a close look will be taken into Emerson’s essay, Nature, to define Emerson’s use of the metaphor to highlight the importance of nature as an ideology for finding faith within a stressful and rigid reality and to explain why Emerson’s work is a fundamental example of pastoral transcendence and should be read by anyone who wants to achieve a deeper understanding of the world around them. To begin with, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote Nature as an anonymous ploy to show the beauty he discovered; a beauty that man had only to look around him to find as well. He believed that “no power of genius…has ever yet had the smallest success in explaining existence. The perfect enigma remains” (Woodberry 109). In this, Emerson had achieved the impossible. For Emerson, it was clear that he had found a source of divinity within the beauty that nature holds, one that he believed most men were unable to see, and one that he believed most men needed to see and understand if they were to get the most out of their lives. More, that this level of attainment is so important to the life of man because not only do most men miss out on nature, but nature has so much to give if only men were to take one moment and view the true beauty that it holds. In Nature, Emerson “conceives existence as energy; uncircumscribed and formless it is God, conditioned and in the finite it is the soul within and Nature without” (Woodberry 109). In any other time in history, Emerson would probably have been called a heretic for his words, and even today his ideology that through nature man can find faith and divinity within the arms of nature may be unsettling for some. However, while his words may be taken in offence by some of the more church-based religions, Emerson brings up a unique point that man has the ability to find the warmth of God and faith just by walking alone in nature. This alone makes reading Emerson a worthwhile experience. So many ‘classic’ works, or works considered part of the literary cannon, highlight an essential function of human life and give the reader something to chew on. What Emerson offers is more. A reader can take his words for what they are—taking in only the beauty of his prose; or, a reader can reach a level of transcendence through understanding that Emerson has opened up a world of deep meaning and rich exploration. A world where God is everywhere and a touch of faith can be as accessible as the light breeze on a sunny day. More, what Emerson is illuminating is not to start a new religion or to have man misinterpret his metaphor as anything other than as a way for man to ultimately find God; and nature is simply that pathway. Now, Emerson is not defining God, either. It seems clear that he intends every man to have their own faith in whichever manner that they choose, it is mostly that he wants to offer man an avenue for finding the inner peace and solace that holding the faith of a divinity represents. And, getting there means that man has to let go of some of the hectic business of life and take a moment of silence to open up his very soul to the prospect of solace through the beauty of nature. This alone is like getting valuable advice from an unexpected place. Emerson is clever, by making man out to be a relatable version of everyman. His words make it clear that no man has to choose a religion to find the peace of faith and enlightenment, and he makes it accessible to seek a pathway to solace of the soul. In many ways, it is a transcendental reminder that as people we need to look to nature to find faith, and more, that within nature people can find the truth about reality itself. Emerson’s view of nature is such that nature is open-armed, waiting to take man into her hug of delicious sensations which will in turn release the stress reality holds upon him. Man must be completely open to the nature around him if he is to achieve the divine solace only nature can provide. More, the “function of the soul with regard to this divine influx is to receive, to be passive, to give unimpeded way to the currents which stream though it; any use of volition or choice is an interference and obstruction; absolute receptivity is the state of excellence; for this inflowing is the presence of God, is the divine energy active, is the dynamic of the soul. There are all degrees of it, in power” (Woodberry 109). For Emerson, not only has nature become the pathway to the divine, but it represents true divinity, communing with God Almighty through the bounty provided on Earth. Emerson’s essay can almost be read as a bit of analytical love prose for his divine beauty. Nature has become an essential character within his own life and Emerson intends to not only explain this bond, but to encourage other men to find such solace as well. He believes that man should take himself away from the distractions of life and find a moment where he can be alone with nature. In that moment of solitude, nature will provide each man with an inner solace to soothe his soul and provide a level of faith and transcendence that traditional religion has failed to provide. Emerson’s metaphor for the pastoral is an extreme example of highlighting the beauty of existence through an understanding of attaining an inner solace. More, “declarations such as those contained in the famous ‘transparent eyeball’ passage make clear that Emerson had scant regard for the proposition that God could only be known through intermediaries” (Payne 191). The ‘transparent eyeball’ referring to the fact that nature should be viewed with a clean slate, and man should understand that only in this manner can full understanding of its beauty be achieved. Emerson’s definition of nature as a natural deity is such, setting up a holy divinity of sort between man, through Nature, and finding God and “was a radical proposition—radical enough, anyway, to get him banned from the podium of Harvard’s Divinity School for thirty years following his 1838 address” (Payne 194). It is not unsurprising that such measures would have been taken for the words of a man seeking the divine through the Earth, but it doesn’t mean that Emerson wasn’t right. Ultimately, Emerson understood that the human soul can be lost in the tragic reality brought on by the advent of technology and the confines of daily life. He believed, however, that “faith should blend with the light of rising and setting suns, with the flying cloud, the singing bird, and the breath of flowers” (Payne 198). Like faith, nature was all around man, he had only to seek it out. More, that faith was as essential to man as breathing. It’s almost ironic for Emerson, that man has such access to the beauty of the divine, but that man is too caught up in his own life to take notice. And it’s a shame, to have the beauty of nature and a natural pathway for finding solace so close at hand, yet so ignored by most men. For many, Emerson’s essay on Nature represented a “philosophy of daring and inspiring affirmation: a revolutionary natural theology that was the solvent of encrusted forms and traditions” (Payne 200). It was finding a theological background by utilizing the bounty found around man without needing to enter the confining walls of a religious church or temple. To find the beauty in nature without being around the trappings of man at all. Emerson has been so touched by the pastoral landscape of America that he seeks to define it on as fundamental level as possible so that people around him can view it with the same honest tribute that he does. For a work to become part of the literary cannon, it must first exemplify some aspect of human nature that will make an impact on its reader in some way, big or small. It’s a shame that Emerson’s work is not already required reading because what he offers is to look upon the human soul and to understand what makes a man happy or sad. His words offer a means and a pathway to enlightenment; something that numerous movies and novels have dedicated themselves to—more, that the pathway to enlightenment is not the attainment of some elusive holy grail, but that it lies within every man who simply takes the time to look outside at the beauty around him. Further, Emerson’s Nature “epitomized the conflict between the domination of nature and human progress in the nineteenth century” (Lumpkin 45). Historically, man had found the technology of invention and had begun living life as tied down to the confines of machinery. But this was not a life that was ideal for the spiritual growth of man, in fact, it represented a hindrance that man was allowing which took him away from the pure understanding of divinity through the beauty of their surroundings. For Emerson, this was the ultimate betrayal, but one that man could make right should he choose to slow down and view nature properly, without prejudice, and without the confines of the technology of man’s current reality. In many ways, Emerson’s words still ring true. With the advent of computers, life for man has taken a definite turn for reliance on technology and the solitary moments where inner peace can be achieved are practically non-existent unless man understands the words of Emerson. The phrase ‘stopping to smell the roses’ has never been so profound as it is when a reader takes in the words of Emerson. For, to take a moment and view the beauty of nature, man can achieve the blessing of pure and transcendent divinity. It’s a beautiful and fantastic sentiment, seeking solace of the soul and finding it in so simplistic a manner. To read the words of Emerson is to become enlightened by the simplicity of the words themselves. In many ways, his words can make a reader take a harsh look at their own current reality and realize that tiny changes could be made to lead a happier, healthier life—simply by taking a moment to breathe and look outside the window. Life has a way of getting in the way, so to speak. And what Emerson offers is a quick solution to a drab existence of unhappiness and unfulfillment. What he offers is a solution to finding faith outside the confines of any one church. More, what he offers is a pathway for inner peace, a transcendence that any man can achieve if he simply takes a moment for himself. Overall, Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, utilizes the literary element of metaphorical language to illustrate the theme of man’s need to find solace and divinity away from the confines of reality. Emerson offers a pathway for divine acceptance through man’s understanding of the natural beauty around him, should he only take a moment and view it properly. For Emerson, man has become too complacent in life, too compromised by the current reality of technology and invention to maintain a hold on faith and the transcendental need for a higher power. After taking a close look at Emerson’s love prose, it is clear that his use of the metaphor to highlight the importance of nature as an ideology for finding faith does more for the human soul than any one religion has ever achieved. Emerson’s Nature should be considered required reading because it has value that so many works today are lacking. His words offer a pathway to enlightenment and his solution is so simple that any man, who has the time to breathe for a moment, can find peace and solace through the divine beauty of nature. Works Consulted. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Nature.” Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ed. Robert Spiller. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1971. Print. James, Missy, and Alan P. Merickel. Reading Literature and Writing Argument, 4th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Lumpkin, G.T. “The Promise of Technology versus the Pastoral Ideal: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Conflict over the Role of Mankind in Nature.” International Journal of Humanities and Peace 22.1 (2006): 45+. Print. Payne, Daniel G. "Emerson's Natural Theology: John Burroughs and the ‘Church’ of Latter Day Transcendentalism." ATQ (The American Transcendental Quarterly) 21.3 (2007): 191+. Print. Woodberry, George Edward. Ralph Waldo Emerson. New York: Macmillan, 1907. Print. Read More