Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote an essay in 1836 called “Nature”. In the essay he discussed the idea of transcendentalism, which is a belief system that suggests that one must study and experience nature in order to become a spiritual being. He believed that the society, at the the time, did not appreciate nature even though it is a necessary component of our spiritual selves. Emerson found it was important to spend time in nature, in solitude, in order to leave the distractions of life and the world behind periodically. He also talked about the four different uses man had for nature: commodity, beauty, language and discipline.

This work was controversial at the time but would go on to influence such thinkers as Henry David Thoreau  who actually wrote “Walden” while staying in a cabin owned by Emerson.

What do you think Emerson meant when he said that “the earth laughs in flowers”?

How do you feel when you see or smell flowers in a field?

What does their vibrant colours, various shapes and beautiful scents do to your mood and your appreciation of nature?

Sources:

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Nature.” Archive.org. California Digital Library, n.d. Web.

Reidhead, Julia. “Henry Davidson Thoreau”, The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008.