The Secret Letters Of Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay, Research Paper

The book I so vigorously read was entitled The Secret Letters of Ralph Waldo Emerson , which was a grueling 460 pages. Joel Myerson edited and published the book in 1997, but all the material was of Emerson origin.

The reason I opted to read this book correlating to Ralph Waldo Emerson life of philosophy is due to the fact that I have always been fascinated by philosophy and the importance it has within our lives. Throughout time the world has been shaped by philosophy, from the very fibers of our local justice system to the vast religious entities that coincides within our world. No other American philosopher in my personal opinion has had more impact than that of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Personally I feel he is one of the fathers of Western Philosophy, since Emerson often guided many anteceding American philosophers.

Even in the pages of our history book traces of Western Philosophy are found. On page one in our history book a central theme An American belief in a unique national destiny influences its relations with other nations is a philosophical idea generated from such philosophers like Emerson in which the book vividly depicts his life of philosophy from the letters in which he wrote to friends and family members.

The major points of the book are many. But the real vivid ones are clearly evident. The biggest point of the book was to give new insight to the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson. So often do readers acknowledge the philosopher but rarely do the get to trip into the personal world that this book so greatly dove into, letting us, the readers experience not only his great philosophical teachings, but also the life he lead to it. Second major point is that this book was also detailing some of his other profound, lesser works in the form of handwritten letters to friends and family. The books whole purpose was to gather all the letters or Emerson, and present his majestic life to the reader.

The author s purpose was that of the same as the books major points. He was interested in publishing the letters in which he collected of Emerson and to present to the general public, so that they too might be able to dive into the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson; one of the greats of US philosophy, and to provide a new source of information not accessible before.

To me the most important message of the book is that Ralph Waldo Emerson was not just some philosophical anti-social, but rather a living, breathing, friendly philosopher, with many friends, and a great life. And also that he led a life similar to many people of that time and really wasn t much different from them, except for his teachings which were considered great.

Personally I found the book to be rather interesting. It gave me a lot of helpful insight to a person, which I find very intriguing. I liked the easy to read format, and the very big variety of letters. It gave me a broader view of the life of Emerson, such as his love life, family life, and his life as a teacher. Even though the 400+ pg. length was very long and tiring at times.

Some times I think, If I was with the author what would I ask him? Since I find interest in philosophy I d probably say So how did you start your trip into the depths of philosophy? , or rather Isn t it hard to dedicate so much time, like you have, to philosophy? These would probably be the two biggest questions I would love to ask.

My favorite passage of the book was within one of his letters to a friend, which also appeared in his essay Self-Reliance . It goes Whoso must be a man must be a non-conformist Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind . It is one of my favorite philosophical quotes because it is so true. Man was made to think for himself, how can a man be happy and live a prosperous life if he is always following the wishes of another. To me this quote has meaningful impact.

This is what I have learned of Emerson after reading his long book. It is always good to know that you know a little bit more each day.