Ralph Waldo Emerson Reflection Paper

Great Essays
Between the last few months from September to the present day I believe I have made many spiritual connections within my life. Until recently I have been analyzing what these connections are and what they mean to me. A few of the books we have read this semester actually triggered the journey I am writing of for me. The books were She Who Is, The Female Face of God in Auschwitz, and Living with a Wild God. As well the movie Of Gods and Men and the readings of Descartes in philosophy.

My reasoning for this Journey was to find out who God really was to me. I had always learned within my religion of Catholicism who God was to my church but I had never questioned anything I had been brought up to believe. To start I realized in order to establish a strong base for my argument I must find out where the traditional views of God have come from and some of their oppositions. Luckily enough Elizabeth Johnsons book, She Who Is, is the perfect source to derive such information. Regardless of the religion it is clear in todays world that God is still taught as the high power; and the reading by Johnson
…show more content…
So I took it upon myself to do some extra reading. What I came across happened to fit my conclusion perfectly. It was an excerpt about Monism by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This embodied a few things. The first being that everything flows from only one source. This to Emerson shows that God and the world are both attributes of the universe. And me it proves that God and the world are not separate from each other so God could quiet possibly be an idea within all of us. The piece of evidence I came across from Emerson was that evil is the lack of goodness. So if God is within all of us and during acts of evil we are lacking goodness during these acts how could he be an almighty power? Lastly Emerson alludes to Jesus not being special since everyone is of God. What set him apart and made him special was that he knew he was of God when others had

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Essayist, poet, and lecturer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, scrutinizes the educational system of the nineteenth century in his essay “Education”. Emerson’s purpose is to exploit the faults within the methods of teaching that were practiced and persuade educators to shift to the natural method. He adopts an academic, yet passionate tone in order to inspire teachers and parents to make the changes necessary to properly prepare students for the future. Emerson opens his essay by expressing that the key to proper education is respecting the pupil and applying the natural method.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Emerson’s views are shown as man should learn from nature itself to be in complete harmony with nature itself and therefore reach the height of…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A man named Dr. John Emerson, a white male, decided to purchase a slave named Dred Scott in the year 1833. Because Emerson was a involved with the army for imployement reasons, he and Scott lived in a military base in Wisconsin. Their move to Wisconsin was controversial however because Wisconsin was no longer a slave state due to the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise was a deal the United States made with Missouri, resulting in the creation of a new amendment, in which Missouri was introduced into the country as a slave state. Because of Missouri's decision to enter as a slave state, it offset the balance the union had where there was an equal number of slave states as there were free states so in order to fix this, the United States made Maine a slavery free state.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Well known essayist, lecturer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his text, “Self Reliance”, asserts that each individual should avoid conformity and follow his/her own ideologies to achieve a more enriched life. Emerson’s purpose is to impress upon the reader the idea that they should not conform their lives to the ideology of society; rather they should pursue their own individual paths consisting of their own actions and ideas. He utilizes an encouraging tone to express to the readers that it is possible to be ones own man, non-conformed by societal standards. Individuals must learn to accept the lives they are given rather than attempt to mimic the lives of others or else their lives will have no meaning. Emerson commences the except by stating “There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Emerson’s essay “Nature”, Emerson looks beyond the simple visuals of the woods and explores how his connection with Nature grants him enhanced perception of his existence, and how he himself is encompassed and uplifted by the existence that is Nature. Emerson While remembering his transcendental walk through the forest, Emerson writes, “There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which Nature cannot repair. ”(Emerson’s “Nature”) Emerson feels invincible in this moment due to his current independence from society bequeathed upon him by Nature.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Instead of believing that men are all naturally evil doers who are predetermined, Emerson has unique ideas. These include those stating that mind should open to laws that traverse the universe. And the laws of the soul are expressed in laws of nature like gravity and motion. Unlike Mathers, Emerson believes that "man seeks good ends," and evil is not permeant or even absolute. Man is seeking a limitless capacity for goodness.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Transcendentalism Argument According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. This outlook starkly juxtaposes the transcendental view expressed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, that “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages”. The root of this issue is deducing which of them is correct.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Additionally, Emerson asserts “The currents of the Universal being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.” He becomes one with God, demonstrating a feeling of sacredness for those who are spiritually connected with…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson shared very similar ideas in regard to human behavior, yet these two men believed in opposing outcomes that derived from following these relatively similar life styles. Emerson and Franklin both believed that by controlling one's desire and impulsive nature, one could vastly improve themselves as well as their own purpose in society. That discipline and thoughtfulness were cornerstones to a productive life. Their results, however, at times contrast greatly. Ralph Waldo Emerson worked to better himself through the discovery of knowledge while Benjamin Franklin worked to better himself through improving his image and his money making ability.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Prompt 3 Author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a famous quote by him, he said “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” This quote relates to individuality and being to yourself meaning like should conquer own goal and lead to your own life. Don’t ever let anyone control your life, or tell you how live it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement Emerson wrote? Audiences who are reading this should ask themselves this question to understand this quote, go through all the accomplishments that they done by themselfs to see how individuality could be, and even see if they living their life the way they want, or not be forcing to live.…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s main point was that individuals should think for themselves and the overall purpose for this essay is to persuade the reader to realize the importance in one’s independence from society and dependence on one's own capabilities rather than just following the majority. 2. The author is speaking to all of America but the intended audience is the society of the world. Societies throughout the world are dealing with this issue and if followers became leaders and followed Emerson’s philosophy of individualism, the world would flourish.…

    • 214 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    While Emily Dickinson and Ralph Waldo Emerson do draw from various wellsprings of motivation, their written work, their speculations and thoughts behind composing, and the way they wind up showing themselves are in fact comparative from multiple points of view. Dickinson shows some impact of introspective philosophy Emerson discusses. Emerson contained three different central ideas that classified as requirements for a poet. They were composed of the relationship between the soul and the art of the poet, the poet’s communicative or prophetic function and the relationship with nature, and the objective of the poetry entirely. Emily Dickinson completed these requirements over time.…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Until God miraculously saved my mother and my family. For the first time, the spirt of God came to life in my heart. I saw a miracle happen right in front of my eyes. Even when I wasn’t giving God my all, he gave me his. Theology has become my part of giving back to God for saving me from losing my mother.…

    • 1389 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    English Reflection Paper

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages

    English 106 was the first real college class that I ever stepped foot in, and because of that, I was extremely nervous and unsure. The English teachers at my high school always said that the papers they assigned were held to college standards, and I always did well on those assignments, but I was still unsure about this course. I expected this course to be loaded with reading and writing assignments that would make me pull all-nighters on a regular basis. After going through English 106, I realized that there were not too many assignments and that I learned a lot from each one. To me, the most salient parts of this course were the discourse community paper, the annotated bibliography, the art analysis, peer reviews, revisions, and reflections.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Spirituality means different things to different people. This world is made up of individuals with different ideas and beliefs which give birth to different worldviews. My personal worldview is based on how I was reared. My religion, Christianity, is what shapes my worldview. I believe in one God who gave his only begotten Son, who died not for only my sins but everyone of this world.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays