Selected Poem By Ralph Waldo Emerson example essay topic

Critical analysis on American literature I analyzed a selected poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson titled "Bacchus" written in 1847. In this poem I believe that he accurately depicted a metaphorical piece about everyone buying into things that weren't worth buying into, and jading their chance to boost themselves further in life. It sounds much like today, but was more realistic in the 1800's because it was spread by people and writings, real experiences, not television etc. Emerson starts out the poem with "Bring me wine, but wine which never grew". This to me expresses his need to thirst for things, which were true and solid. Truth is a reoccurring theme in many of Emerson's literary works.

He wants knowledge, but things that have never been thought of before, ideas not yet conceived and put forth into motion in the world. He continues the poem with "Let its grapes the morn salute from a nocturnal root, which feels the acrid juice of Styx and Erebus". This represents the evil side of the world Emerson saw. He sensed that when people delved into things to gain more insight and connotation, they were withdrawn. He uses "grapes" again to show that this is linked to his first advance towards attempting to render new worldly ideas. All throughout the poem "Bacchus", Emerson uses wine to represent the "thirst" that people (mainly him) had for new, yet inspiring, not flippant, things in the world.

He wrote "We buy ashes for bread; we buy diluted wine; give me of the true... ". . As I said before he used truth a lot, as a pure term to represent great knowledge, which he thought everyone could do with some taking of. "We buy ashes for bread... ".

. This statement means they took part in things they didn't need. They accept authorities, and life "ingredients" that aren't needed in the mix. "Diluted wine" Is them taking part in watered down truths. Things that weren't wholly right and important to help them to become who they needed to be in their walk of life.

My favorite excerpt from "Bacchus": "Among the silver hills of heaven draw everlasting dew; wine of wine; Blood of the world... ". This expresses Emerson's firm belief in there being a determinant knowledge out there, only to be sought by one's inner self. Wine is again representing (a metaphor for) knowledge, or things we need to know. This knowledge, to him, is among "the silver hills of heaven". It is "the everlasting dew" as he sees that will become "the blood of the world", an item that will revitalize anyone who draws on it.

In the last verse of poetry, Emerson introduces remembrance, something he shows as helping save the great thinkers of the world. Bacchus is the name of the remembering wine, and he explains it will be used to save the loss of men and himself. "The memory of ages quenched; Give them again to shine; a dazzling memory revive"; . He spiels about the time taken over the years to compile such a vast expanse of knowledge that quenches the great, and will always be there for them to open.

But it is still built upon a memory. This poem which Emerson wrote in 1847, strongly draws on the Persian poet, Hafiz's, way of using "wine" as a symbol for intellectual freedom. Emerson always felt that people should use their entire mind to their advantage, especially when reading. To just envelop one's self into the piece. He attached to this poem a note, which read, "The man who is his own master knocks in vain at the doors of poetry.".