LITR 4232 American Renaissance UHCL 2010 midterm student sample answers

LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2010
Student Midterm Samples
3. Web highlights:

Review at least 3 posts from course website's Model Assignments (4-6 paragraphs)

Chelsea Hailey

To Be One with Nature

(Model Assignments)

In this essay, I will compare the analysis between 2 essays about Emerson’s “Nature;” after which, I will give my opinion. Then I will compare “Nature” to another very popular text of the American Renaissance period, Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans.

At first glance, Emerson’s “Nature,” seems to be a very optimistic text and his intended goal of becoming one with nature appears to be a simple task. Upon first reading “Nature,” I left the text feeling much the same as BL, from the 2004 midterm. I felt like Emerson was telling us to go out and start from scratch so that we can find truth for ourselves. He does not want us to just go by what our past predecessors have learned and written down about nature. BL writes, “However, the past itself is not to blame; the problem is when we become enslaved to it. [The sun shines today also,] implying that it also shone in the past. In fact, Emerson blames his own generation for the enslavement, saying [Our age is retrospective.] Some previous generations sought truth for themselves, and here catch a brief glimpse of the romantic view of the past. Emerson wishes to return to that earlier spirit of discovering truth for oneself. [There are new lands, new men, new thoughts,] he says, [Let us demand our own works and laws and worship.] The possibilities of the future are nearly unlimited.” This description of Emerson’s ultimate goal for mankind spoke very powerfully to me, especially since I left the text with the same feelings. BL captures Emerson’s message perfectly when he/she writes, “In other words, we should strike out from the comfortable and decayed and seek the untamed, the unexplored, and the untranslated.” Even though BL and I ended the text with a very optimistic and easy feeling, there were others who felt differently.

After reading MB’s 2008 midterm on the analysis of Emerson’s “Nature” and of BL’s opinion, I decided that I should take another look at Emerson’s “Nature.” MB writes, “[Nature never wears a mean countenance] and [There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,--no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes) that nature cannot repair.] BL’s 2006 midterm response to Emerson’s nature reflects this powerful optimism when he/she says [The possibilities of the future are nearly unlimited.] While I think Emerson wanted us to feel this way about the future, I think he realizes how rare it is, and that it will always be tempered by humanity.” MB feels like Emerson is not as optimistic about mankind achieving this state as he would like his readers to believe.

After rereading “Nature” and looking at it from a more logical perspective, instead of just getting caught up in the emotion of the text, I saw why MB disagreed with BL’s (and my) opinion of Emerson’s message. I saw the underlying doubt that Emerson had about humankind actually achieving this. I’m led to think that I did not see this before due to: 1. I was wrapped up in the emotion of the text 2. During class discussion and, we stayed on a more positive note and did not discuss the possibility of Emerson doubting his own idea and 3. We were not assigned the entire text. MB also says that the reader needs to delve deeper into the text instead of just doing a quick, simplified reading of the text, MB also writes, “Initially, the passages above make us want to evoke images of the noble savage in nature and that if we were to wander into the woods we would want for nothing. I do not think this is the case, when Emerson says [Nature never wears a mean countenance] he isn’t saying that it is open and welcoming like a mother, rather that it is indifferent. Indeed he says that all the [chipping, baking, patching and washing that in an impression so grand as that of the world of the human mind, they do not vary the result.] We can’t do anything to stop or even pause nature, just exist in it. What Emerson wants us to do, is to not forget to observe it, lest we lose sense of ourselves and become absorbed in custom. [It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown] (1113). “ MB, like BL, makes a very strong point.

Although MB and BL have differing opinions about Emerson’s nature, I still feel like they both interpreted his message correctly. The main difference being that BL did not detect any self-doubt in Emerson’s message. They both understood that Emerson wants people to go out and discover the world for themselves instead of always relying on what others say. Now that we have looked at 2 different opinions on Emerson’s “Nature,” let us turn to another essay that we can relate to the 2 previously discussed.

When I read ND’s 2006 midterm essay over the symbolism in The Last of the Mohicans, I immediately thought of Emerson’s “Nature.” In ND’s essay, he/she writes about how the freely flowing water symbolizes the life of the Indians. He talks about how the Indians are one with nature. ND writes, “However, a closer reading of the passage brings to light many hidden symbols. In my opinion, the river water symbolizes the Indians who follow [no rule at all] and move as though by their own free will. Like the water, they have intertwined with nature and have the same fierceness and majesty as the forest.” Upon reading these lines, I thought, ”this sounds exactly like what Emerson wants all of mankind to achieve.” This is a very insightful essay that led me to connect 2 completely different pieces of literature, which I found extremely fascinating. I would have never though of Emerson’s “Nature” while reading Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans, without having read ND’s essay.

Upon reading these essays, I am shown, again, how 1 text can be interpreted and read in more than one way. I was also given the opportunity to link 2 very different and very popular pieces of literature from the American Renaissance period. These were 3 very insightful and powerful essays and I learned some interesting things from them that were not discussed in class.