His belief is that all things in nature have a natural self and language tries to create a true representation of that natural thing via words and phrases, but Emerson states that because man is corrupt and uses these words and phrases to lie and deceive people, the words and phrases become tainted and therefore, untrue—the very opposite of what language was originally designed for. The first thing Emerson does in this chapter is establish three points of language. “1.
Words are signs of natural facts. 2. Particular natural facts are symbols of particular spiritual facts. 3. Nature is the symbol of spirit. ” (Emerson, 1118).
In the first point, Emerson implies that words are honest and true with nature because they are factual. That is, all of our words in the English language derive from a word or phrase that quite literally means what is being discussed. Some examples he gives are, “right originally means straight, wrong means twisted. ” (Emerson, 1118).
When someone says that something is right or wrong, you associate it with being straight or twisted, but you do so without even noticing. For instance, the “straight and narrow” is a phrase that is linked with doing what is correct or right, so society today still associate words with a more direct and meaningful, natural definition. The second point of language that Emerson addresses is that some natural truths symbolize spiritual truths, that is, the essence of something can be described though a natural being.
The Essay on Emersons Theory And Use Of Language
Emerson's Theory and Use of Language Ralph Waldo Emerson was a profound writer and speaker of the 19th century. As a poet and an essayist he was able to invoke new ideas and thoughts that soon made him the central figure in the Transcendentalist movement. Emerson created a revolution that influenced other great writers such as Thoreau, and Whitman, thus making Ralph Waldo Emerson one of the most ...
One example given is that, “a lamb is innocence” (Emerson, 1118).
While many people do associate snakes as deceitful, and foxes as sly, that is not the only association that can be given to those animals. A snake can be described as persuasive, and a fox as a fast running animal, but these two last examples differ greatly from the associations given to them earlier so how is one to know which is the true meaning? Emerson spends a great deal of “Language” discussing how our words and language are corrupt because humans are corrupt.
In this sense, then none of our language is true or completely and naturally a symbol of the spiritual sense. Because people are corrupt, they can use language to manipulate words to mean things that they want it to me. For instance, words used today have different connotations associated with them than they did when the words were first created and therefore, they are taken from their natural trueness and displaced and used in a faulty manner by humans. Because the fall of man corrupted humans for as long as they are on this earth, their inclined to do evil things that are self-destructive.
So, to say that everything in the Garden of Eden is the complete essence of nature and truth, when Adam and Eve were banished they took what language they knew in the garden and tried to apply it to a damned world where nothing is what it should be; because the natural realness of everything is only accessible through the garden of Eden, this world can never use language correctly to symbolize the real spirit of nature. With that said, there is no way one could know which description is the true, spiritual meaning related to the natural being. Who is to say that a lamb is truly and honestly innocent?
Or that the essence of a lamb is its innocence? Maybe the true essence of a lamb is its grace—but who is to say it is or is not. Therefore, the natural facts that symbolize spiritual facts cannot do so in a completely accurate or truthful manner. Thirdly, Emerson speaks of a spirit being symbolized by nature. This concept is similar to the second in that the spiritual essence of something is seen through a symbol of nature, but in this sense, Emerson says that all men are to inherently know it because it “is not fancied by some poet, but stands in the will of God” (Emerson, 1118).
The Essay on nature in emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson explores the intricate tie amongst nature, man, and language. His function is to define reason and understanding through nature. Emerson uses the analogy between mans life and the transformation he finds through his soul. He changes the idea of logic and reason, but its meaning remains similar. He draws on images of flowing events and metaphorical illustrations. Nature ...
In this third point, Emerson clarifies his pervious idea by adding that the spiritual is naturally embedded in material things and the only way to correctly interpret any text is to read it in the way that it was meant to be read—in a way that it was written; “A life in harmony with nature, the love of truth and of virtue, will purge the eyes to understand her text. ” (Emerson, 1122) If the true meaning of nature is found only in Eden, then how is one to ever interpret anything when in this corrupt world of lies and deceit? Emerson is implying that to interpret anything’s real and natural spirit, one must be enlightened to a high degree.
One must be one with nature and look not to anything they have previously known because all of that is wrong. When being close to nature, one is being close to God, and through that covenant, one can comprehend the power of language’s true meaning. Emerson’s “Language” shows the inaccuracy humans have when using words or metaphors to symbolize a natural subject due to the human’s own natural inclination to be corrupt and deceitful. Language, as derived from pictures and words that closely resembled the truth of a being, was supposed to be used to further convey the natural truth of an object, be it a tree, a fox, or a piece of literature.
However, because of the fall of man, and his ever growing detachment from nature, and consequently God, man is only capable of interpreting something’s spiritual truth by removing themselves from everything they already know, because it is corrupt, and by creating a closer relationship with God and nature.
