1. Ralph Waldo Emerson Author of “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”

2. Biography  Father of American Transcendentalism  Personal motto: “Trust thyself”  Graduated from Harvard Divinity School

3. Biography Continued  After his first wife, Ellen, died he left the ministry and set out to find truth and peace. He found Transcendentalism.  In 1836 Emerson met his best friend, Henry David Thoreau.  Later that year he founded the Transcendental Club along with Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller.

4. Transcendental Values  Although Emerson was the Father of American Transcendentalism, many of his writings reflect that he believed these values were the most important:  Knowledge is found in nature or through one’s intuition.  God, nature, and humanity are interconnected  Individualism  Self-reliance (in order to think independently and become your true self)

5. The American Essay --”uniquely American Literature”  An essay is a work of nonfiction that usually deals with a single main subject.  Can be formal or informal, are usually loosely structured, and include personal views of the writer.  Tone -writer’s attitude toward his/her subject  Figurative language -makes abstract concepts more understandable and emphasizes ideas  Anecdotes -short accounts of personal incidents  Imagery –creates vivid impressions in the reader’s mind.

6. Essays  Formal essays- explores topics in a serious and organized manner.  Informal essays-adopts a more casual tone and may include humor and unconventional in nature.  Types Of Essays  Persuasive  Expository (Informative)  Descriptive  Argumentative

7. Essay Structure  Organization -arrangement of main ideas and supporting details. (narrative, cause and effect, compare and contrast)  Supporting details -include facts, opinions, reasons, sensory details, anecdotes, and examples that support the main idea.  Diction- the way a writer uses and arranges language. Voice.  Tone- the expression of the writer’s attitude towards his/her subject.

8. Nature  Informal  Illustrated the philosophy of transcendentalism.  “Standing on the bare ground,-- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.”  became the Transcendental Club’s manifesto.

9. “Self-Reliance”  Formal Essay  Focused on the topic of intuition  Emerson argues that people should trust their own judgment about what is right and wrong, rather than conforming to the opinions of others.  “Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”