| Experience - Ralph Waldo Emerson | |
Seven elements are the pieces or parts of our existence, the things that all under the heading of "Experience." Emerson implies that Experience is not necessarily a positive force. Instead, these aspects may contribute to our disillusionment and utter confusion of reality. They are part of ourselves, things often hidden beneath the surface or under a different facade or face that we have to accept.
Emerson threads the seven elements through the essay with masterful method. Starting with the poem, we see how the terms are interrelated, even though they seem to be so different at face value. We see, through his words, that there "is not end to the illusion," that, in fact "there is an optical illusion about every person that we meet."
Ultimately, Temperament "shuts us in a prison of glass"; Secession is a "secret of illusoriness"; we cannot see below the Surface; we are surrounded by Surprise, which livens our experience with magic; "there is that in us which changes not," -- Reality; Subjectivism is exemplified by nature and literature. He weaves the images together in so artfully that sometimes it's hard to distinguish the contradictions that pop up here and there. Perhaps the contradiction can best be explained by the simple existence of human fallibility. Emerson knew, as any master craftsman would, that we are full of contriadictions -- inherently
