Emerson American Literature Essay

Submitted By Mrsstephens1
Words: 298
Pages: 2

"Man is his own star; and the soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,
Commands all light, all influence, all fate;
Nothing to him falls early or too late.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still."
Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletcher's Honest Man's Fortune
Cast the bantling on the rocks,
Suckle him with the she-wolf's teat;
Wintered with the hawk and fox,
Power and speed be hands and feet.
After reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essay, there were two quotes that stuck out to me that I wanted to discuss. The top quote in the beginning of the essay is my favorite quote out of the whole essay. To me, it means that I can achieve by relying on myself but only if I am self-aware regarding my motivations, short coming, strengths, past, etc. At first, I didn’t understand what it meant then I thought about it and it just came to my mind. I also think that it is powerful quote and it means something to me and will hopefully be something that I can live by.
The next quote I actually am going to break down into pieces and analyze it. The second quote is saying to me that when it says wintered with the hawk and fox, it means that they are self-reliant and they hunt and scavenge during the winter for survival. When it says, power and speed be hands and feet, it means to me let your hands and feet be quick to help you survive.
The two quotes that I chose are ones that I hope to live by because they are powerful. These two quotes