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Laurel Jobe
UHON 1020
Dr. McCarthy
6 February 2017

An Open Letter to Ralph Waldo Emerson, on His Essay The American Scholar

Dear Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Reading your essay brought many ideas to my attention regarding education which I had

not considered previously. Being a scholar, I agree that it is important to recognize the value of

the individual. Youve noticed that the whole of modern day society is made up of all the

working parts of The Man, the focus being slowly shifted from the individual to the collective

masses as generations go by. People tend to be infatuated with their work and forget about the

bigger picture in life. You describe this phenomenon in your fifth paragraph of your essay by

writing, He sees his bushel and his cart, and nothing beyond, and sinks into the farmer, instead

of Man on the farm. This is one example of how people have forgotten about what really

matters in life, and are contributing solely to the masses of society. By simply doing, and not

thinking about what outcome those actions may have, the individual is lessening their ability to

think for themselves, thus becoming more immersed in the physical working parts of society

rather than taking time for their own intellectual growth. If peoples goals in life were to solely

achieve monetary material values as a result of their work, then society would go nowhere but

straight into the abyss that is Capitalism. No new breakthroughs would occur - not any in the

realm of the human mind at least. People would grow complacent in their thoughts, and the

creative process as a whole would surely die out. All of that being noted theoretically, though is
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it not already happening in our world that we live in today? It is just as you mentioned, The

tradesman scarcely ever gives an ideal worth to his work, but is ridden by the routine of his craft,

and the soul is subject to dollars. Humans value money and power over all else it seems.

Your first point dealing with great influences on the human scholars mind is natures

influence. Nature is complicated, everything is connected to everything else, and that is how you

describe the soul. Scholars need to study nature in order to know thyself. I can personally

relate to this, not necessarily in my specific college studies on a day-to-day level, though in

growing and maturing as a person and scholar, I look to nature to take time to reflect and

question various aspects about my life. If one can understand ways in which the world works on

a natural and biological level, I believe that is the basis for cultivating new ideas and questioning

old ones.

The second influence on the American scholar is the mind of the Past. The Past

includes works of art such as literature, or institutions whereupon the human mind is showcased

and collected. Books are important windows to our history and explain past events and lifestyles.

Someones mind and soul was once poured into this work of art, their ideas from centuries ago

are preserved and replicated over the course of time, which is something invaluable to society. I

feel as though scholars take these works for granted for the majority of the time, and seek only

the title and self-satisfaction of being intellectual. Are we really taking into consideration the

values and lessons that come from these literary works? I think that is something that the masses

of today have an issue with. Modern day intellectuals at a University read notable works from

throughout history, though usually forget to question those ideas. Many assume that in reading a

renowned authors work, they also are required to adopt those same principles and ideas. Room

for new thoughts is nonexistent most of the time, so our generation is not contributing to the
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betterment of society in the future. You were right in saying that, Hence, instead of Man

Thinking, we have the bookworm. Hence, the book-learned class, who value books, as such.

Our generation, brought up by books, will always find the value in reading them but may not

always be able to cultivate new thoughts as a result. The Brock Scholars Program is most

definitely set on the bookworm notion; all scholars should be well-versed in the classics,

poetry, Shakespeare, epics, and other works by famous scholars of the past. It is the programs

goal to have each freshman class go through an entire year of a Humanities course complete with

reading a vast assortment of these works in order for us to become more well-rounded. I think

that our class does a fine job of not only looking at and analyzing the texts, but also being

skeptical of those ideas that arise from them, conveyed by the author(s). It is not wise to simply

conform with the same thoughts and values posed in a work of literature because that is not

Man Thinking. Anyone can take a text and pick it apart, but it takes a special type of person

who can look past the superficial notion and think for themselves on important matters.

Your third point considering what influences a scholar is the notion that they are viewed

in society more so as a speculator, rather than a practical man who uses his hands and takes

action. It is characteristic of a scholar to think much more than he acts, though without action,

nothing would ever progress. Your quote, Action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is

essential. Without it, he is not yet man. Without it, thought can never ripen into truth, highlights

this issue of imbalance between thoughts and actions and you entail that action is quite essential

in becoming true to oneself. The issue of complacency comes up here as well. On many

occasions, people are not brave enough to act, especially if they are a part of a minority group or

have an unpopular belief that contrasts societys standards. Though, without action, those

individuals thoughts and ideas will not be heard in the way necessary. It is important to be brave
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and fight the masses on important issues. Sometimes I find it quite difficult to take action myself,

though being a part of the Brock Scholars allows me to listen to others ideas and take part in

collaboration. Bringing together individuals with open mindsets is the proper way to take action

in my opinion. People, scholars rather, who do not immediately accept the status quo way of

thinking, who are in tune with their environment and natural surroundings, and who look to the

past not as a mode of material intellectual growth, but as a tool for learning and positively

reshaping our way of life. Thank you for thinking about and writing this informative letter,

conveying important messages that we, as American Scholars, need to consider in our own

academic lives.

Sincerely,

Laurel Jobe