Emerson delivered the speech "The American Scholar" in 1837, declaring intellectual independence for America. He argued that scholars should find inspiration from nature, books, and their own actions rather than solely relying on past thinkers. Nature teaches scholars to classify elements and see connections, shaping their own interpretations. Books provide information but should inspire new thought, not be worshipped. A scholar's duty is to observe, guide others, and develop their own convictions despite lack of popularity. True scholars influence society through new ideas and freeing others from conformity.

2. GOOD MORNING

3. AMERICAN SCHOLAR

4. LIFE AND WORKS OF
EMERSON

6. LIFE OF EMERSON
Emerson was born in 1803 in Boston, on May
25th.
He entered Harvard college in 1817 at the age
of 14.
He was graduated in 1821.

8. Emerson married Lydian Jackson of Plymouth.
He settled down to a happy life that
developed into a great career.
He was an effective public speaker and was
generally recognized as master of the art of
oratory.

11. WORKS OF EMERSON
In 1836,he published his first book NATURE.
In 1841,ESSAYS-first series appeared.
In 1843, ESSAYS-second series was written.

12. POPULAR POEMS OF EMERSON
The Spinner
The Rhodora
The Visit
The Snow-Storm
Grace
Give all to love
Terminus and so on….

13. INTELLECTUAL DECLARATION OF
AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
America was declared independent from
England in 1776.
After 60 years i.e, 1837,once again America
was declared as intellectually independent.
Emerson was invited by PHI BETA KAPPA, a
literary society, at Harvard university to deliver
a speech.

14. Emerson published his speech in London in
1844 as “Man Thinking:An Oration”.
It is “the Declaration of Independence” in
American letters.
Elements of Transcendentalism, Democracy
and Dignity of Labor are elevated in the
speech.

15. Emerson addresses Mr. President and
Gentlemen at the beginning of the literary
year.
“Our anniversary is one of hope, and perhaps,
not enough of labor”.
“The old fable says there is one man, present
to all particular men only partially or through
one faculty and that you must take the whole
society to find the whole man”.

16.  Unfortunately, the one man has been so minutely
subdivided that it “is spilled into drops and cannot be
gathered”.
 The society has gone into such a state where each
man is cut off from the rest.
 All things exist for the benefit of such a scholar and
the true scholar is the only true master of all things.
 But the scholar often goes wrong, fails to understand
his real nature, and so forfeits his privileges as the
true master of all things.

18. Emerson notes three areas in which
Americans can make intellect in their own-
NATURE
BOOKS
ACTION

19. NATURE

20. NATURE
 Everyday the sunrise, sunset, night stars, appear. The wind
blows, men’s activities go on.
 “The scholar is he of all men whom this spectacle most
engages”.
 he must settle its value in his mind. What is nature to him?
“there is never a beginning, there is never an end, to the
inexplicable continuity of this web of god, but always circular
power returning into itself.
 Slowly, the mind finds how to join two things and see in them
on nature; then three; then a thousand, so the mind goes on
tying things together just like a flower out from one stem.

21.  so, it is suggested that he and nature proceed from
one root; one is leaf and one is flower.
 And what is that root? It is the soul of his soul.
 He must learn to worship the soul which is a part of
the all pervading nature.
 Therefore, he must follow the ancient percept “know
thyself” and the modern percept, “study nature”.
Both these at last become one maxim.

22. According to Emerson, Nature is
Everlasting,Inexplicable,Inscruitable and
Mysterious.
When observing the basics of nature,we
classify certain elements as either beautiful
and note worthy or booring and monotonous.

23. By Independently declaring these
classifications, we become one with nature.
Through Individualized thought we have the
power to shape our interpretation of nature
and therefore, nature itself.

24. BOOKS

25. BOOKS
 Emerson’s second source of inspiration is books.
 Nobody can write a book of pure thought which will
be as useful in all respects for the coming
generations as it is for his own generation. The books
of an earlier period of history are not of much use to
the future.
 It is necessary to realize that books do not have a
value and validity for all times to come. ”books are
the best of things, well abused, among the worst”.

26.  each generation must write its own books which can be of
value at most for the next generations.
 Young men grow up in colleges and libraries thinking that they
have to accept the views which Cicero, Locks and Bacon have
expressed in their books. but, these young men do not realize
that all these writers were themselves only young men in
libraries when they wrote these books.
 The result of this worship of books is that we get “the book
worm instead of man thinking. that we get the book learned
class who value books as such and not as related to nature
and to the human constitutions.”

27.  “Books are for the scholar’s idle times. When he can read God
directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men’s
transcripts of their readings . We hear that we may speak “the
Arabian proverbs says “a fig tree, looking on fig tree,
becometh faithful”
 The one valuable thing in the world is the active soul. This
active soul should not be allowed to become the slave of the
ideas contained in books. The active soul sees truth, speaks
truth and also creates truth
 Books are meant for the scholar’s idle time. In is busy time
when he can directly read God ,he should not waste his
precious time in reading what others have written. Books
should not be underestimated. But it is wrong to confine one’s
attention to books only.

28.  Books are backward looking, but the active soul or genius is
forward looking. However it should be remembered that
genius can cause much harm also by over-influence.
 Human mind can fed by the knowledge contained in books
but the reading of books must be creative one. One must be
an inventor to read well.
 However, the basic principles or elementary facts can be
acquired only by the careful and precise study of books.
 History and science must be read laboriously and elements of
the subjects must thus be acquired. But such a study, too, can
be useful only when it develops the creative power of the
scholars, when it enables him to think for himself.

29. Instead of memorizing history,Emerson
believed books should only be used to gather
information in order to form one’s own
opinion.
Books should inspire new thought and new
theory.

30. SCHOLAR

31. DUTIES OF A SCHOLAR
To cheer, to raise and to guide men.
He does the slow unhonoured and unpaid task
of observation.
He must observe and study men and their
psychology and must not mind if fame does
not come to him at once.
He must be prepared to accept not only
poverty and scorn of the people but also
solitude.

32. His chief consolation should be the fact that
he exercises the highest functions of human
nature.
He is a man “who raises himself above private
considerations and lives on public and
illustrious thoughts”.
He is the world’s eye.
He is the world’s heart.

33.  Such being his duties, it well be necessary for him to have full
confidence in himself and never to need popular opinions. He
should have the confidence to think that not only does he
know the world popular opinions but also that he will not be
carried away form his own convictions.
 He should add patiently observation without caring for the
view of the multitudes. And success is sure to come to him in
the long run.
 In understanding his own mind he would understand all
minds. People well then listen to him with pleasure. This
would give him power over the hearts and minds of man and
they would listen by him and be guided by him.

34.  A scholar should face the world boldly, it is for those
who are lacking in self-confidence to feel afraid of
this world.
 The scholar must have so much confidence in himself
as to be able to influence the world with his ideas,
and free others from fear.
 It is not the man who can alter matter who is great,
the great man is he who can alter the state of mind
of others.

35. The common people gladly bow to the great
man. because they see on him the ripening
human potentialities.
Common people are willing to give their own
blood to make the heart of the great man
beat.
He lives for them and they live in him. The
scholar should try to be such a heroic man,
and then all will bow down to him.

36.  The scholar is that man who, ”must take up into himself
all the ability of the time, all the contribution of the past,
all the hopes of the future. He must be a university of
knowledge.”
 He is a man who has understood that the world is
nothing and that the man is all important. In man himself
is the law of all Nature.
 He must know that Reason slumbers within him; he must
awaken it and apply his reasoning faculty to understand
the truth about man and his life.
 Through his efforts and courage he must bring about the
union of man with and with Nature and God.

37. CONCLUSION
The American scholar should have confidence in the unexplored
might of man. Unfortunately, the spirit of the American man is
thought to be timid, imitative, and tame. He must work patiently
to achieve his noble aims. If that is done the American people
will walk on their own feet, will work with their own hands and
will speak their own mind. They will acquire self-confidence and
Independence of outlook. The scholar must carry out this noble
task with patience, courage and determination.

38. MY OPINION ON
AMERICAN SCHOLAR

39. MAKE THE MOST OF
YOURSELF FOR THAT IS ALL
THERE IS OF YOU

41. PRESENTED BY
KIRANMAYEE
CHORAGUDI