Literary Analysis of The Themes and Symbolism of The American Scholar

While reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Selected Essays “The American Scholar”, I personally could not really understand the essay. I really need more time to process and study the messages Emerson wanted the readers to understand. However, I understood when Emerson said that, “In self-trust all the virtue are comprehended”. If a person wants to live a full and virtues, that person should conduct their life by having good morals and ethical principles at all times to be free from chaos. Having chaos in one’s life is confusion and anger because the individual cannot process anything. Living a life of chaos is unhealthy but to be virtuous is peace. Right now, my life is chaotic, but, someday, I want to live a virtuous life, but in order for me to obtain my virtue, I have to complete my college degree to take my life to the next level to have my virtuous peace. For me, having virtue is purchasing a house that I own without the help of a loan or a mortgage. However, Emerson mention the word comprehended. Comprehended means, to understand the nature of the meaning of something. When Emerson speaks of the word nature is he really speaking about people upbringing, genetic make-up or just the meaning of the way the a person learns or understands a lesson. I really think I understood what Emerson said, but the question is, am I wrong?

Emerson explained in the essay that “we are the cowed, we the trustless and to ignorance and sin, it is flint.” If a person does not have an understanding and confidence then fear and ignorance will replace the lesson learned. If someone is ignorant, the person will not change their way of thinking and the person will never understand the lessons. Ignorant people never what to listen to what no one has to say, also ignorant people think they know it all. To be ignorant is to have no trust. On the other hand, if the person has understanding and confidence the person will open their mind up to the lesson and learn what is being taught to them. Anyone that has confidence and understanding has acquired how to listen and departmentalize what is right and what is wrong. All educated people have understanding and confidences.

The Past

Our past makes us better in life. Learning from a mistake is a lesson taught and a lesson learned. If anyone makes the same mistake twice, the person did not learn from the consequences the first time. In my past, I helped person get a cellphone in my name because they had bad credit. The person that I got the cellphone for ran up the bill to $3,400 dollars. When I got the second cellphone bill, I was furious! I called the person to ask them are they going to pay the cellphone bill, the person said NO! All I can do was cry because I did not have three thousand dollars, so I promised myself I would never help anyone again, but I did help other people in other ways and guess what, I was the one crying again. Now that I am older and wiser, I do not help anyone, when it comes down to me owing money on my credit. Being wiser is the best lesson to learn in life. When a person becomes wiser, they can teach other people what they went through before, so that person will not make a mistake that they cannot fix.

My readings

I read many books that were not educational. The most of the books was about drug, stripping and swindling, but this one book called Push, messed my mind up. When I think about that book chills. The movie Precious was based on the book Push. The movie had nothing on the book. Push was about this little girl passed through the educational system, both of her parents molested her, she live in absolute poverty and all the systems failed her until she met other people and changed her way of life. I am still sad about that book.

In closing, I hope my journal is correct.