Born future was molded by the early deaths

Born May, 1803, RalphWaldo Emerson was an early American writer/philosopher that led theTranscendentalist movement of the 19th century.

Despite the tragicoccurrences going on around him, he remained with a generally sunny dispositionthat rang with optimism. Emerson was raised by a strict, Unitarian ministerfather that came from a long line of ministers himself (2)*. Despite this, Emerson left the church at the age of 34, and did not follow in his footsteps(1).

This could’ve been due to his father’s untimely death when Emerson waseight. In fact, it is believed that much of Emerson’s future was molded by theearly deaths that plagued his familial life (1). Apart from his father, histhree brothers, his first wife at the age of 20, and his oldest son facedpremature death (2). However, his aunt, Mara Emerson, embodied everything thatEmerson would ever become. Though morbid, she was intelligent and very vibrant(2).             Emerson also acquired some excellent brains, as he attendedHarvard, but sadly his education was thwarted by his vision problems (2). Hebecame a minister for a short while, but resigned after the untimely death ofhis first wife, Ellen Tucker (2). Soon after, he began lecturing, and ended upcompletely devoting his life to teaching, writing, and spreading his philosophy(1, 2).

In 1835, he married his second wife, Lydia Jackson, and they had fourchildren together (2). Emerson’s family lived comfortably, and Emerson wasalways busy. He had famous friends such as Margaret Fuller, and Henry Thoreauhelping out around the home, as well as other friends such as George Ripley, and Branson Alcott who helped him create a magazine named The Dial, which Fuller edited in 1840 (2). Despite the immensehappiness that clouded Emerson’s life at this point, it took a turn when hiseldest son, Waldo, died from Lockjaw, a commonly used slang term for Tetanus(2).             After his son’s passing, his work took a noticeablydarker turn, but ultimately resumed its normal tone. He began lecturing a lotmore frequently, so much so that by 1885, he lectured at least 80 times a yearon variety of subjects. By this time, Emerson had traveled all over the nation, and published several essays.

Hetraveled to England in 1847 to receive more information on the gap between therich and poor, which influenced some future writings (2).            As Emerson grew older he traveled frequently, wrote alot, and was all around hard-working. Though he worked diligently, he wasalways self-aware of his personal limits and made sure to remain within theconfines of them. Emerson had grown very popular by this time, and inspiredothers to write, such as the renowned Walt Whitman (2).

He always fought forwhat he believed in, advocating for abolition despite the medical challenges hefaced. His memory decayed at a moderate pace, with it speeding up after hishome burned down, until his death in 1882.            Emerson’s works always revolvedaround the individuality of the person, most likely why he advocated forabolition. In works such as Self Reliance, Emerson explores the individuality of each person and their fate threadedthrough it. He has deeply intricate meaning on life and death in all writingshe published.

He was a sensational inspiration to many authors, and to manypeople who simply needed guidance.