Farmer to Hero

       “Concord Hymn” by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a poem written in honor of those who fought for freedom of the colonies in the American Revolutionary War. In Emerson’s eyes, without these men we would still be slaves of England. The image he creates of these soldiers leaves the biggest impression. They were “farmers” who started something that affected the entire world; their shots were “heard round the world.” Those who fought for their independence from England were not wealthy or highly educated, they were not even real soldiers; they were blacksmiths, farmers, even beggars who were all suffering at the hands of England. They all came together to fight the most powerful military in the world. These men were able to do so without fear because they knew what they were fighting for: not themselves, but for future generations. They were fighting for our freedom, for all Americans today and in the future. Without their sacrifice who knows where we would be. Unfortunately we sometimes forget what these men did for us, Emerson tells us in this poem we must honor these men for their sacrifice, they must never be forgotten. The soldiers who fought in the war are dead, but the freedom they gave to all Americans lives on. Emerson first refers to the soldiers as “farmers” but at the end of the poem he calls them what they really are: “heroes.” These heroes were willing to die for the freedom of America, and they did not die in vain. These simple colonists fired a shot that was not only heard around the world, but changed the world. Without them there would be no United States of America. The United States of America is the greatest country on the face of the earth and if it were not for those men in the Revolutionary War, it would not exist. These soldiers must never be forgotten because even though they are no longer alive, the impact they made will never die.

Death

            “Funeral Blues” by W. H. Auden is a poem about someone who has lost a man very close to him/her. The relationship was never revealed (brother, husband, father, friend?) but clearly their affection for one another was fervent. At the end of the poem the narrator says the dead man was everything and now that he is gone there is nothing for him to live for. His life is now full of despair because he realized that love does not last forever. The poem makes me wonder what I would do if I lost someone close to me. Would I let it consume more whole life or would I grow stronger from the experience? I hope I would be able to grow stronger from the experience. If I lost one of my brothers, or parents, or best friends I would be distraught emotionally in the beginning. I would probably react similar to the narrator in this poem, but I cannot let the death ruin my life because it will not change anything, they will still be dead. More importantly the person who died would not want me to put a halt on my life because of them, they would want me to move on and live my life. Love is a powerful thing: an intense feeling of deep affection and it does last forever, contrary to what the narrator said. When a person dies they are physically gone, but it does not mean they are erased forever, they still live on in memories and they will never be forgotten. When the narrator says love does not last forever he is right in the physical sense of love, but you will allows love a person even if they are gone. When you lose a loved one you never stop loving them because they will always be with you: in memory.

Fate

        The poem “Fate” by Ralph Waldo Emerson describes that an individual’s life is completely determined by fate and supernatural forces or greater beings control. They can make a person’s life good or bad without explanation. When a person becomes rich and famous it is fate, not because of their own hard work and effort. If fate controls a person’s life what is the point of working hard? According to Emerson, a person can work hard and have a bad life or put forth minimal effort and live a bad life. If everyone accepted this no one would do anything, people would lie around and wait for fate to bring them fortune. A life controlled by fate means the individual has no power. A person has no control over his/her life, every decision they make is meaningless. Fate is the sole determinant of their quality of life. If a person’s destiny is to lead a poor, meaningless life, then no amount of effort they put forth will ever make a difference. In the poem, Emerson says that no individual knows their own fate because: it is incomprehensible. The only person who knows our fate is God, or “The Genius” he is referred to as in the poem. God created humanity so it is only logical that he would know our fate. If Emerson is correct and our lives are totally determined by fate then maybe it is better that only God knows our fate. A person who knows their fate is to be a millionaire will put forth no effort in life because they know they are set, and even worse they may develop a smug attitude towards people whose lives are not as good as theirs. In vice versa, a person who knows they are destined to be poor and petty may become depressed with life in general because they know their life will end up bad no matter what they do. A life ruled by fate is an empty life.

Emerson and Nature

            Ralph Waldo Emerson felt a devout connection with nature, and he displayed it in his literature. Nature appears simple and emotionless to most, Emerson saw how amazing nature was. He saw not only its beauty and grace, but he also understood its power and potential for destruction. For me when I think about nature I instantly think about the cliché things: first snowfall, sunsets, beaches, etc. I think about nature in the generic way, but when I read Emerson’s poetry I see how much more to nature there really is. The most obvious thing Emerson’s poetry made me realize was nature’s disparaging capabilities. I hear every day about a blizzard, a hurricane, or tornado causing destruction, yet that is not what first comes to mind when I think of nature, I only think of clichés and Emerson made me realize that. “Water” is one of Emerson’s simpler poems but it is still a prototype of Emerson’s theme in a nature poem. “Water” is a short twelve line poem with simple language, but it gets across a powerful message. The subject is obvious from the title, “Water” is about water, but even though it is about one particular thing in nature its theme can be applied to all of nature. In the poem, Emerson gives water and nature, inanimate and emotionless, feelings. He makes it appear as simple and calm in the beginning, but as it progresses it gains greater significance. Water and nature can be glorious when used properly, although when used wrongly it can cause great destruction. Emerson’s nature poetry leaves me in awe of nature’s power but also makes me appreciate its beauty more. It makes me want to preserve the beauty of nature so that my great- great- great- grandson can still admire nature’s beauty. A lot of people, like me, say we “love” nature, but we are frauds in comparison to Emerson. We are in love with nature’s beauty, and while Emerson loves nature’s beauty he also sees so much more in nature. He realizes nature is not just meant to look “pretty” he comprehends that nature is complex: be glorious and calm and simple, but at the same time it has the ability to cause destruction. Emerson is in awe of nature and his poetry is able to instill the same feeling in the reader.