Trinity

In the early 1800’s, Ralph Waldo Emerson visited the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France and found himself entranced by what he saw there. Where his fellow patrons observed nature, Emerson perceived Nature. Where we notice only a majuscule letter, Emerson glimpsed God. This visit inspired his seminal essay Nature, in which Emerson expresses his thoughts on the relationship between Nature, Mankind, and God. Within this essay, Emerson famously pronounced, “The whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind” (17). In this, you can see Emerson beginning to define Nature in relation to Man, as an expansion to the standard definition. The standard definition of Nature, as viewed by both the common man and the Oxford English Dictionary, was anything in the physical world, including the “landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations” (Murray). That distinction, Nature as opposed to Man, is the essence of Emerson’s thoughts on Nature.

Me on Thoreau on Nature

From an in-class writing prompt in Honors Composition II:

Thoreau seems to see Nature as an infant see its mother; large and encompassing, a nurturing provider, and easy to take for granted. He describes Nature in almost religious terms, as an entity that is separate but still innate. His view is almost entirely non-scientific, with information gathered for the purpose of joy, rather than for critical analysis, which was the vogue at the time.

Thoreau views Nature by way of Man; his writing is a constant comparison of the two. While he sees Nature separately, he defines it in terms of Mankind; how it illuminates the character of Man, how it contrasts from Man, and what those things tell us about both Nature and Man.

Whitman & Thoreau

From an in-class writing exercise from Honors Composition II:

Both Thoreau and Whitman seem to share a firm belief in both the power and majesty of the world around us. They both seek to commune with Nature and to pay great attention to its infinite detail. Thoreau, however, seems to calmly accept the facets of Nature's visage that so disturb Whitman. To Thoreau, Nature seems to represent the very epitome of truth and honesty, whereas Whitman does not disdain to suspect or question Nature. Last, Thoreau sees himself as a part of the natural world, while Whitman views himself separately, with Nature as a frighteningly higher entity.