- RALPH WALDO EMERSON BIOGRAPHY
- RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Essayist, Poet,
Lecturer, Philosopher, FOUNDER of "TRANSCENDENTALISM" and The "SAGE OF
CONCORD", who famously wrote "IF WE ARE RELATED, WE SHALL MEET" and
refers to the Greek verse 'The Gods are to each other not
unknown."
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- RALPH WALDO EMERSON
was born
on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a
well-known minister, but died when Emerson was 8 years old.
Emerson was sent to study at the Boston Latin
School and then
entered
Harvard College
at age 14. Emerson studied philosophy. He won prizes for
writing, but became interested in the ministry. In 1829, Emerson
was ordained a
Unitarian minister.
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- Emerson married Ellen
Tucker in 1829, but she died only a year and a half later. This
was the beginning of Emerson's doubt in religion. He began
questioning traditional religious ideas and resigned as a
minister in 1832, after refusing to give communion.
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- After traveling in Europe,
Emerson returned to the U.S. in 1833 and began lecturing on the
"human culture".
This led to Emerson writing
essays and books. His first work was titled
"Nature" (1836), which
led to Emerson founding a new philosophy called
"TRANSCENDENTALISM",
which believes an individual can transcend the physical world.
It also promotes intuition over science, freedom, the human
spirit, the "individual", self-reliance - based on the idea of
the "GOD WITHIN".
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- In 1840, Emerson published
"THE DIAL",
promoting transcendentalism. Next came "Essays"
(First Series) (1841), which
included the essay "Self-Reliance",
stressing the importance of the individual. Emerson's
"Essays"
(Second Series) (1844) includes the essay
"Character" featuring
the famous phrase "If we are
related, we shall meet. There is a Greek verse which runs,
'The Gods are to each other not unknown.'"
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- Emerson published
"Poems" (1847)
and "Representative Men: Seven Lectures"
(1850), an essay about
geniuses in history,
including Plato,
Shakespeare and Goethe.
Emerson moved to Concord, MA and met Henry
David Thoreau
(Essayist and Naturalist), who became his disciple and friend.
Among Emerson's later works include "Society
and Solitude" (1870).
By that time, Emerson became known as the "SAGE
OF CONCORD" for his
insightful and brilliant work.
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- Ralph Waldo Emerson
contracted pneumonia and died on April 27, 1882 in Concord, MA
at the age of 78. Emerson is buried in the
famous "SLEEPY HALLOW CEMETERY" in Concord, MA, along with his
disciple Henry David Thoreau.
