Question Home

Position:Home>Books & Authors> Can someone help me on this Emerson piece?


Question: Can someone help me on this Emerson piece!?
Right now I'm freaking out over a homework assignment for a lit class I'm taking and I need some serious help!. We had to read an Emerson piece and pick a specific line that moved us from the passage!. We then had to write as to why it was meaningful to us, and this is what I wrote: (By the way, it'd be cool if anyone who knows about transcendentalism had any criticism, etc!. as I'm desperate at the moment!.)

Quote:"I do not wish to expiate, but to live!."

Response:
This, subjectively, was one of the most important lines within the piece!. It spoke to me simply because this has been what most of mankind has led his life around; this concept of atonement and one's need to be forgiven for his immoral sins!. But are all of our "sins" really as unchaste as man was led to believe!? If you think in terms of Emerson's theories of transcendentalism, which essentially state that man is a product of nature and therefore should find truth within himself and nature, then no!. I don't believe man to be an immoral creature by nature, but rather a simple, complex being who should not be viewed as a sinner!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Emerson was expressing, as you said, a desire to live as a natural man would live, not as mandated by religions where man was viewed as fundamentally flawed!. Emerson disagreed with the concept of original sin, believeing instead in man's responsibility for his own actions, beleiveing in man's innate ability to determine right and wrong!. Man ,as you stated, is not an immoral creature, in fact man is very moral!. How many animals pause to consider their actions before they feed, or struggle for survival!? It is mans morality that makes man, Man!. It is a natural state for Man to be moral and to recognize morality!. It is an unatural state for Man to make lists of right and worng and then hold all Mankind to the list!. Every Man must be true to his natural morality, Nature will select the proper morality and weed out the incorrect!.

Your choice of quote was excellent, you'll do fine!Www@QuestionHome@Com