Emerson's Poet
Emerson’s “Poet”
First published in 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson released his essay titled “The Poet.” In this essay, Emerson provides his thoughts of the ideals of a poet. He was not speaking of any poet, instead an American poet. What should their ideals be? What should their role in society be? And how can the American poet distinguish him or herself and think independently from the European influence? Emerson argues that the poet is a “namer” and a “seer”, who permeates the secrets of the universe and articulates the pure emotion and essence that binds humanity and the world together. Therefore, the ideal poet is a person who puts into words and sentences emotions and energy that others can sense but not articulate. In Emerson’s words the poet is “the namer, the sayer, and represents beauty.(262)” The poet speaks for all men and women because it is their duty to stand for the love of the beauty of the universe, and to be able to write it in a way that presents the same feeling the poet feels as the reader would, experiencing it first hand. Walt Whitman was a man who believed he could be that American poet, that sayer, who would be to Americans what Shakespeare was to the British, and what Dante was to Italians. After reading and rereading “The Poet”, Whitman willfully made it his mission to set out to emulate the poet Emerson is in search of. Many of Emerson’s ideals were met by Whitmans astounding work, however others were broken from and some others even conflicting against. In many ways Whitman became “The Poet”, although in others Whitman must have surprised Emerson in his expansion of what the “sayer” sees in beauty. Even though Whitman has much of his own individuality, an aspect of Transcendentalism, he still has much to owe to a man he admired enough refer to him as ‘Master.’ Emerson includes major transcendental ideas in “The Poet” relating to an artist. This artist is ideally someone who is an individual that stands and speaks for
First published in 1844, Ralph Waldo Emerson released his essay titled “The Poet.” In this essay, Emerson provides his thoughts of the ideals of a poet. He was not speaking of any poet, instead an American poet. What should their ideals be? What should their role in society be? And how can the American poet distinguish him or herself and think independently from the European influence? Emerson argues that the poet is a “namer” and a “seer”, who permeates the secrets of the universe and articulates the pure emotion and essence that binds humanity and the world together. Therefore, the ideal poet is a person who puts into words and sentences emotions and energy that others can sense but not articulate. In Emerson’s words the poet is “the namer, the sayer, and represents beauty.(262)” The poet speaks for all men and women because it is their duty to stand for the love of the beauty of the universe, and to be able to write it in a way that presents the same feeling the poet feels as the reader would, experiencing it first hand. Walt Whitman was a man who believed he could be that American poet, that sayer, who would be to Americans what Shakespeare was to the British, and what Dante was to Italians. After reading and rereading “The Poet”, Whitman willfully made it his mission to set out to emulate the poet Emerson is in search of. Many of Emerson’s ideals were met by Whitmans astounding work, however others were broken from and some others even conflicting against. In many ways Whitman became “The Poet”, although in others Whitman must have surprised Emerson in his expansion of what the “sayer” sees in beauty. Even though Whitman has much of his own individuality, an aspect of Transcendentalism, he still has much to owe to a man he admired enough refer to him as ‘Master.’ Emerson includes major transcendental ideas in “The Poet” relating to an artist. This artist is ideally someone who is an individual that stands and speaks for