Emerson

1. “Nature is but an image or imitation of wisdom, the last thing of the soul; nature being a thing which doth only do, but not know.” Plotinus

When I read this quote at the beginning of Emerson’s article, I feel in love with it. The last part “only do, but no know” reminded me of the natural man which seems to act off emotion rather than logic and reason. Logic and reason requires knowing, whereas emotion requires doing (especially when you view emotions in the context of choices).

So nature is doing while language and literature is knowing. The Lord requires us to act but put off the natural man and act in knowing—God’s commandments (logic and reason).

2. “A man’s power to connect his thought with its proper symbol and so to utter it, depends on the simplicity of his character, that is, upon his love of truth and his desire to communicate it without loss. The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language” (p. 33).

I think of the apostasy. God’s presence, even his Word through the voice of prophets, was taken from the earth. There was much corruption during this time. It did not happen right away, but after years without the language of the Gods men did indeed fall to corruption.

I also think of our discussion two weeks ago about our favorite points in the Becker article. On page 216 I shared, “Let us eliminate the English words in the first translation that are there only because of the demands of English and have no counterpart in the Burmese.” Truth is simple and simple to communicate. There are no flush phrases in truth, no filler words—only what is necessary.

The ability it takes to create literature in the language of Gods is the simplicity of our character. How much love and desire do we have to communicate? Love and desire are simple.

3. Emerson was discussing obvious analogies in nature. He said, “The river, as it flows, resembles the air that flows over it; the air resembles the light which traverses it with more subtile currents; the light resembles the heat which rides with it through Space. Each creature is only a modification of the other” (p.39).

This reminded me of Becker’s philological relations, one in particular: the intertexual/crosstexual relation where the old text invents the new text and the new text resurrects the old text. Emerson called this imitation/analogy a radical law.

Language and literature are consistently repeating over and over from different authors and speakers. I think this happens because truth is eternal—it does not change, it does not end. So, the language and literature ideas that convey truth do not end either, that is why they continue to repeat throughout history.