Tag Archives: Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Process of Letting in Light

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Claudia Rankine and Beth Loffreda’s article “On Whiteness and the Racial Imaginary” converses with Ralph Emerson’s “Nature” on the subject of discovering “Truth”. Even though they both investigate the subject in two completely different fields (literature for Rankine and her compatriot, and physical nature as well as the inner nature of our very being), they both arrive at polarizing conclusions as to how to arrive at Truth and who has access to it.

The Truth, according to Emerson comes from within oneself as well as from Nature. “Every man’s condition is a solution in hieroglyphic to those inquiries he would put. He acts it as life, before he comprehends it as truth. In like manner, nature is already, in its forms and tendencies, describing its own design.” Emerson argues that though one needs a code to “break” the “hieroglyphic” Truth they are unconscious of, this Truth is nonetheless present within man and nature; and is therefore integral to what it means to be human. However, it is only the poet, “…whose eye can integrate all the parts…” In other words, only a poet can synthesize the various “forms and tendencies” of Nature in order to define Truth.

On the other hand, Rankine and Loffreda say that the “Truth” is not a definable entity that can be excavated from within all human beings. The separation of the human from the imagination is impossible because they are eternally intertwined. The imagination is just a scrambled office of opinions, and the “racial imaginary” – which is heavily informed by the cultures we grow up in and the people and ideologies we surround ourselves with – are the inner beliefs we are not readily conscious of without deeper intentional self-investigation. They purport that the inner caverns of the human imagination, in understanding others’ similar or dissimilar experiences of race, are inherently incomplete and faulty; as are all human beings. “But to argue that the imagination is or can be somehow free of race – that it’s the one region of the self or experience that is free of race – and that I have a right to imagine whoever I want, and that it damages and deforms my art to set limits on my imagination – acts as if imagination is not part of me…” According to them, it is a mistake to assume that the human, or at least the artist’s, imagination is a transcendent arena for perceiving the unseen Truth, the inner lives of human beings whom are not shaped by and affect the world the same ways they do; certainly not enough to recreate a real-life human experience in art and literature.

According to the authors of “Whiteness and the Racial Imaginary”- “It should also conversely not be assumed that it is “easy” or “natural” to write scenarios or characters whose race matches…one’s own.” Therefore, unlike the Emersonian ideas of arriving at Truth, Loffreda and Rankine believe that to arrive at a truth within oneself is very unlikely. However, the authors do support the notion that the “racial imaginary” can be “stretched” and enlightened toward empathizing with others more authentically, or as close to authentically as one can. Authors and artists can achieve this enlightened state of empathy by some deep self-reflection and being just plain honest with oneself, asking themselves, “… what [they] think [they] know, and how [they] might undermine [their] own sense of authority.” An author wishing to write from the aspect of the “other” (one foreign to oneself, “whatever that might mean”) one must ask why one is including an “other” in the first place, what their intentions are in using this fictional person as a plot device – what do you think you know about them and how are you trying to use that information. This king of reflection is encouraged in everyone (though to artists in particular), while Emerson excludes everyone but the poet from such knowledge of transcendent, all-encompassing truth.

Both articles “On Whiteness and the Racial Imaginary,” by Claudia Rankine and Beth Loffreda and “Nature,” by Ralph Emerson explain the methods of arriving at truth. For Claudine and Loffreda they venture toward truth in the vein of artistic expression of racial experiences and whether one can write from the perspective of another and what that means for the subjectified party and the subjectifiers. In “Nature” Emerson writes that truth is a thing that can be excavated and that it is not only universal but reachable by the synthesizing  and sensing abilities of the poet.

How She Feels

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In the excerpt from the book Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson advocates for the abandonment of social constructions and institutions as a step towards reconnecting with reality as individuals. He proposes that individuals should detach themselves from the unnatural world of sciences and books, which have led to the development of industrialization and capitalism, in order to reveal their ability to truly see nature in the way of the poet. This poet is able to become the “transparent eye-ball” which possess the power to see fragments with clarity by renouncing its contrived identity (4).

Zora Neale Hurston in “How it Feels to be Colored Me” applies Emerson’s philosophy to her own life and demonstrates her success in denying the preconceptions that are held by society in order to reveal her true self which she calls “the unconscious Zora of Eatonville” (3) although she admits that she can only be this Zora “at certain times” (4). She denotes a constraint in Emerson’s argument as she emphasizes that her ability to become and feel enlightened is only temporary and therefore limited.

W.E.B. Du Bois emphasizes in the excerpt from The Souls of Black Folk the limitations he experiences with Emerson’s idealized philosophy. He introduces the concept of “double consciousness” and his inability to isolate how one views oneself from how others view oneself because of his desire to live within society (5). Du Bois hopes to be appreciated by society and desires comfort with his identity regardless of his race or skin color.

While Du Bois proposes that this feeling of comfort will transpire from social equality, Emerson believes that equality can only be achieved by reconnecting with nature and denying society entirely. Hurston on the other hand recognizes her ability to alternate between the two opposite states when desired and implies that comfort can be achieved through a matter of choice. Her ability to choose whether to ignore her preconceived identity is enough to bring her comfort and empower herself on an everyday basis. Although Hurston may also hope for social equality in the future as does Du Bois, she has found a way to live in a way that is comfortable to her until Du Bois’ ideal may be fulfilled through the utilization of Emerson’s transcendentalist philosophy. Hurston’s more optimistic approach to her situation neither neglects either of the two arguments and instead is able to provide her with the ability to decide how she feels and recognize her ability to change it.

Reflections

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In his essay Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson describes how humans have lost contact with nature and the importance of reconnecting with it in order to better understand themselves. Throughout the piece, he draws on transcendentalist ideology to prove his point, emphasizing the divine aspects of nature that “few adult persons” can see. Furthermore, he stresses the failure of science to identify a “theory of nature” and says that past attempts to do so have only resulted in further division and hatred amongst the human population. The crux of his argument is the idea that by immersing himself in nature, he is able to transcend  “mean egotism”, shedding societal values, preconceived notions, desires, identity, gender, race, nationality, and class in order to become one with nature. He takes the form of a “transparent eye-ball” and is able to see and understand all without being seen. He is above racial, religious, and other man-made distinctions.

Whereas Emerson is empowered by sight when he becomes a “transparent eye-ball”, many African American writers from this period and afterward seem to be burdened by sight — both in the ways that they are seen by other (especially white) people and in the ways they have started to view themselves as a result. They are seen as “object[s]” (Fanon, 257), as savages (Fanon, 261), as intellectually inferior (DuBois), or as pitiable (Hurston). Many of them describe the weight of having to exist on two or three different planes, of existing both as their true selves and as a black person in a racist society. Despite differences in the ways they describe and think about this issue, discrimination does contribute to the sense that they are being held back from reaching their fullest potential. In Fanon’s words “I am a master and I am advised to adopt the humility of the cripple (265), or, as Hurston sarcastically puts it, “It is thrilling to think–to know that for any act of mine, I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame. It is quite exciting to hold the center of the national stage, with the spectators not knowing whether to laugh or to weep.” (Hurston) Moreover, they are hurt by the internalization of these messages by themselves and by other black people. Fanon describes being rejected by other black people as they make efforts to assimilate or even become white, not wanting their efforts to be tainted by him. Even Hurston, who claims to “have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored” admits to feeling the effects of discrimination and of being seen as a race before being seen as an individual.

For these authors, empowerment then is found not in seeing, but in learning to unsee themselves in the narrative that has been forced upon them as black Americans. For DuBois and Fanon, that means discussing the limitations that have been systematically placed on black people and actively working to counteract them. For Hurston, it means shedding race entirely and refusing what she perceives to be sympathy over the slavery that her ancestors endured. However, for all of them, it means persevering, being successful, and proving racist Americans wrong through their success.

Emerson’s ability to become a “translucent eyeball”, despite his insistence that doing so extinguishes such distinctions as “master [and] servant”, is an ability largely and unwittingly based in his own privilege. It’s not that these types of experiences are inherently exclusive, but that it is easier for Emerson to shed his identity and ignore the tensions surrounding race relations in the United States as a person who is not only exempt from racial discrimination but benefits from it. Whereas Emerson and Hurston (in different ways) seem ready to move past the issue of race in the United States, for many people, such as Fanon and Dubois, examining race is key to achieving the type of understanding that Emerson seems to be seeking.

Back To Nature

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Humanity has an internal struggle of wanting more and becoming better but with this upwards struggle to attain “greatness”, we as a society have drifted apart from each other and our own selves. Looking at this dilemma historically, the mirror was a huge discovery that turned our world upside down. Imagine a world where you have no idea what you look like. Now imagine the first time you looked at a mirror and saw yourself. The mirror created a separation within ourselves, an inner versus outer self. The outer was for the world to see while the inner was something that was heavily altered by the thoughts and opinions of others. Mirrors heavily changed our relationship within ourselves but also created a society of image obsessed individuals. The reason I brought up mirrors while in discussion of “Nature” by R.W Emerson is because I believe that the problem that Emerson wants to fix is our society and how lost we have become.

R.W Emerson argues that we should not learn from books or from others but rather LOOK and learn for ourselves. “…We, through their eyes” we are taught by others but in the end we are shown only what they want us to see. Books are written by people and they are certain biases that can be added and there can be a lot of information left out. Emerson alludes to the idea that we should all retreat back to nature. “In the woods, is perpetual youth…In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life,—no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground,—my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space,—all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. Nature is our escape from the world of others and others ideas of ourselves. Even though this piece was written in the late 1800s, the idea of returning to nature is still valid in this time period. We are obsessed with other people’s opinions and thoughts and all we care about is how we are looked at by others. We are all narcissists that only see what we wanna see and learn what others put in front of us. Nature is where it all began, it is the most peaceful and untouched place there is. Emerson in a way is warning us of a future of mindless people with no original thoughts or ideas. Emerson questions books and ideas by asking, “why should we grope among the dry bones of the past, or put the living generation into masquerade out of its faded wardrobe?” Emerson in my opinion wants us to look back of how things were before too much human interruptions and see the beauty and tranquility of nature. Seeing is believing and we have look into nature for help.

Emerson Calls, Du Bois Answers

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In the introduction to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature, he implores his audience to resist blind acceptance of conceits of nature from the past, to refrain from putting “the living generation into masquerade out of its [the past’s] faded wardrobe.” Emerson would rather have his readers forge an independent relationship with nature. He says “There are new men, new lands, new thoughts. Let us demand our own works and laws and worship.” Implicit in his call to action, however, is an assumption of freedom. In order to forge an independent path in nature with any effectiveness, one must have the power which comes from wealth, property, etc. Of course, W.E.B. Du Bois did not write The Souls of Black Folk as a response to Emerson’s Nature. But read with Emerson’s call to action in mind, The Souls of Black Folk can be seen as an answer which makes even clearer how necessary to Emerson’s thesis is freedom. Du Bois shows us that for a significant portion of the population, it is simply impossible to escape into the forest to be one with nature, and have the sort of spiritual experience Emerson prescribes.

For Emerson, “In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.” He makes clear the connection between the spirit of nature and that of the man; that is, if one is facing adversity, the landscape he regards will take on melancholy colors. It would seem in a reading of the first chapter of Nature that Emerson has rarely felt such alienation from his landscape. Nature for him is boundless, and all waiting for his eye to pass over it. Du Bois speaks little of the natural world in the first chapter of The Souls of Black Folk, but the mentions he does make communicate a radically different relationship.

Throughout his text, Du Bois refers to the veil which separates the African American man from society. He is forced apart from the world around him, left to regard both the natural and man-made worlds through a veil which acts as a wall. For a time, Du Bois tells us, he was able to live above the veil, in a blue sky, which, just as Emerson promised it to be, “was bluest when I could beat my mates at examination-time, or beat them at a foot-race, or even beat their stringy heads.” As Du Bois finds ways to inch closer to the power and freedom which will allow him access to the world as Emerson sees it, the sky around him grows richer, and inspires greater joy. However, after a time, living above the veil was no longer possible.

“The shades of the prison-house closed round about us all: walls strait and stubborn to the whitest, but relentlessly narrow, tall, and unscalable to sons of night who must plod darkly on in resignation, or beat unavailing palms against the stone, or steadily, half hopelessly, watch the streak of blue above.” Here, we can see that a mature Du Bois’ conception of nature comes not from a freedom to roam in it, nor even, maybe, from the writings of the generations before him, but only from within a prison of society’s creation, and the limits to his vision its windows present. The streak of blue sky represents freedom for Du Bois, but only insofar as it is unattainable.

It is most clear in his writings that Du Bois is not able to gain full access to the world around him, and the freedoms it offers, from beyond this veil. His viewpoint stands in stark contrast to the description in the climax of Emerson’s argument in Nature’s first chapter. Here, Emerson is entirely unencumbered. He is “a transparent eye-ball”; there is nothing in the way of his taking in all of the land before him, or further, from regarding it as his own based on his singular ability to truly see it. Surely, we cannot suppose based on his writings that Du Bois conceives of a time where he will ever have such an experience. And so, his thesis serves as an answer to Emerson’s call.