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Linda Schwartz
Mrs. Cortese
Engl. 2327
April 13, 2016
Mother Nature
Several authors have analyzed the concept nature and its impact on the humanity in
different ways. Nature can be defined as the physical collection of various things in the world,
except for human beings and artificial creations made by them. These remarkable collections
include animals, plants, landscape, and other features that exist on the Earth and surround
humans in their environment. Nature has a different impact on the lives of people depending on
their beliefs. A comprehensive literature review has shown that people associate the events that
occur to them as the events that take place in nature. Some people perceive nature as a force that
responds to their reactions and thoughts. To the contrary, others associate various events with the
supernatural beings in agreement with their religion. This group of people believes that God is
the controller of the issues that happen to them. As a result, diverse views of nature’s impact have
been spread among the Earth population. This paper will analyze the literature concept presented
by such authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. The analysis will aim at finding out each of
the writers’ perception of nature and its impact on religion. In addition, it will discuss whether
life has erased religion as the foundation of belief.
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Nature as Symbol: Emerson’s Noble Doubt
Emerson’s writing has shown that he believed in Mother Nature aligning the events that
occur in people’s lives. He thought that humans should sufficiently understand nature as their
primary source of needs and controller of their lives. As a result, the events that happen in
people’s lives should be left to flow freely and be readily accepted. According to this writing of
Noble Doubt, this approach has been depicted in terms of his reaction to the deaths of his son
and his first wife. After the death of his son, he wrote that he was sad about mourning, whereas
death is the certainty for each person. Furthermore, he had accepted that it was mandatory, yet
impossible for him to move on at that time. Later, after the death of Emerson’s first wife, he said
that he did not feel the loss, but admitted her absence. Therefore, he had no emotional affiliation
with anyone or anything due to the notion that everything that comes naturally may disappear in
the same way (Porte 14). This concept has resulted in Emerson being associated with actions
based on the non-emotionality towards everything that is unusual for humans. People are
believed to be attached to things that they use or associate with emotionally. Humans should
accept the hostility and goodness that come with nature for they have a limited control over its
course.
The Emerson’s theory is supported by different arguments that state that the course of
nature is not affected by the emotional changes of humans. In the journal, Emerson wrote about
his experience of life that helped to elaborate more on the particular conception of his view and
emotions. The value of the phenomenon that surrounded him was based on the view and
understanding of the worthiness attached to the subject but had little to do with the emotional
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energy. Emerson insisted on the existence of two significant aspects, namely the spirit and flesh.
Therefore, it becomes easy to separate the feelings created by the body and the soul. However,
nature affects both the flesh and spirit in different ways (Porte 12). Emerson’s articles explained
the pleasure generated by the two diverse tendencies that were influenced by the natural forces of
the Earth. The idealism theory of Emerson was based on the individual discretion and taste.
Therefore, according to the content of the article Noble doubt, nature was a great valuable
to Emerson. Nature was an essential part of human life, and it was the reason behind all the
events that occurred to people. Moreover, he considered nature a free resource to entice the lives
of the creation and meet their needs. For example, he stated that; ‘the lands are owned by the
individuals but the landscapes and the horizon belong to no one’ (Christian 22). Therefore, all the
creatures in the world had an equal chance to utilize nature in their lives. Moreover, his passion
for nature has been depicted through his in-depth descriptions that make his literature interesting
and easy to create images in the mind of nature. This dedication is evident that he really treasure
nature. His choice of words has been analyzed earlier by Lawrence Buell, an author, who stated
that Emerson’s connection with nature was inseparable. For example, in his article ‘Nature’ he
described the universe of stars as a ‘sparkling beauty aligned in the blue horizon to create the
ambiance for the soul and enrich the flesh of humans’ (Christian 22). As a result, the work of
Emerson has given readers a crucial perception of the atmosphere and other creations as
perceived by Emerson. As a result, humanity has increasingly embraced the content of the Noble
Doubt and is even reflected in articles and poems dated after his writings (Eady). Moreover, an
extensive influence to take care and appreciate nature has been given to the world’s population.
As per the review of the Emerson’s view of nature, it becomes evident that there is a force
behind the life of people and the occurrence of events on the Earth. Therefore, nature means the
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supernatural power that controls one’s spirit and body reactions. In this regard, he did not
